Incognito
by Dragonfire707
Summary: Five years after Chasing. After recovering his daughter from a kidnapping, Heero accepts an undercover mission and discovers a massive secret dealing, strangely, with himself. Heartbreak, love, betrayal, action...Chap 13 up!
1. Chapter 1

**Incognito:**

**A Sequel to Chasing**

**By Dragonfire**

**AN: Okay, so I know everyone's going to shoot me, but I just did a complete editing of this story and am re-posting ::wince:: every chapter up again, edited to the best of my ability (and there'll still be mistakes, probably). I am so sorry - I know the few people with me on their author alert lists are going to sue or something…but I finally decided on how I want to end this one and had to change a couple things in order for that to work…my sincerest apologies!!**

**Anyway…for those who don't know, this is a sequel to the fic "Chasing", but this one can pretty much stand on its own. Hope you enjoy the ride! :D**

**Chapter 1**

**25 OCTOBER 293 - SATURDAY**

**17:49 PM**

"Callie, would you _get down _from there!"

The small, dark-haired little girl looked down at her mother and called back defiantly from the roof, "Dad said I could come up with him!"

Hilde Maxwell rolled her eyes and gave an exasperated sigh. "You are _so_ dead, Duo," she muttered under her breath, then raised her voice and yelled, "Duo Maxwell, would you tear yourself away from that stupid generator and look at what your five-year-old daughter is doing!"

A man in his mid- to late-twenties appeared next to the little girl, with dark blue eyes and a braid that reached all the way to his waist. Duo put his hands on his hips and studied his daughter thoroughly as Hilde tapped her foot impatiently, until he said, "I don't see anything wrong."

"_Duo_!" Hilde cried. "She's on the _roof_, for heaven's sake! Relena and Heero should be here any moment and she's got mud all over!"

Duo sat idly on the edge of the roof, pulling Callie into his lap. "So? It's not as if Heero cares. Besides, knowing that family, Amy will probably be dirty too."

Hilde didn't reply; instead, she simply glared at her husband. Sullenly, Callie took the hint and dropped nimbly to the roof of her father's pick-up truck, then to the ground. Avoiding her mother's gaze, the little girl went inside to clean up. Hilde turned her glare back to her husband and said warningly, "_Duo_ – "

"I know, I know," he said, but instead of dropping to the truck roof, he gave Hilde a roguish grin and leaped all the way to the ground, landing on his feet nimbly but still scaring his wife half to death. Straightening from his landing, he gave her a wink and followed his daughter inside.

Hilde gave a low groan of exasperation and went inside behind him.

**17:59 PM**

A very hasty ten minutes later, Hilde and her entire family – herself, Duo, Callie, and tiny Nathan (only six months old) – were outside to greet their best friends. Immediately, Amy – the little blonde-haired girl – ran into the house with Callie. A dark-haired, blue-eyed muscular man gave Duo a grin and a mumbled greeting – something very kind and considerate, Hilde was sure – followed by a graceful blonde woman giving Hilde a very strained smile.

"Evening, Hilde," said the tall man in his deep voice, nodding to her in greeting and touching Nathan gently. "How is everything?"

"We're managing," Hilde said, returning his smile. "Perhaps you could talk to Duo about letting his daughter on the roof?"

The blonde woman's head snapped up. "_What_? Are you serious?"

Duo held up his hands defensively. "Hey, I didn't –"

"Don't you dare get any ideas, Heero," the woman said sternly. "If you so much as – "

"I really didn't – "

The woman ignored Duo's protests. "The whole paintball thing was bad enough, you hear me? If I ever catch her on the roof I'll chop your head off, I swear I will."

Heero gave Duo a strained smile and said, "Of course, honey."

"You better believe her," Hilde warned him. "Relena's top of our kickboxing class already."

Heero winced. "Yeah, I remember."

Relena laughed and Duo said, "I think it's time for dinner, don't you, Heero?"

Before the wives could say anything, Duo grabbed his best friend by the arm and the two escaped inside.

**18:47 PM**

After dinner, Amy and Callie went to Callie's room to play Barbies, while Hilde put Nathan down to bed and the adults sat around the table talking.

" – but Senator Rowlings was completely opposed to the idea," Relena was telling Duo. "He thinks that the publicity you pilots got five years ago ruined the 'authenticity and reality of the entire Gundam situation.'" Relena made a face. "He doesn't realize that you're just as dangerous as you've always been." She paused, and then said with a smile, "Except for Heero here. He's grown soft in his old age."

Heero made a face at her, and Hilde laughed. "Pretty soon the women will be protecting the men."

"I certainly hope not," Heero retorted, and ducked to avoid Relena's fist. He grinned cheekily at her and said, "I think I'm getting good at this."

"I was talking to Zechs the other day, before he left for L5," Relena said, toying with her fork. "He thinks that we should forget about the movement."

"Are you serious?" Hilde said. "_Finally_. Revealing the Gundams would've spelled danger for all of us."

Heero glanced at the back room, where the laughter of their daughters could be heard. "Thank goodness for that. Who convinced him?"

"I did, of course," Relena said with a grin. "Actually I threatened him, but then again he is my brother. The only thing is, it wasn't just me. During the meeting, I met this young man, somebody Maclemury, and he was the only one – out of all of those people – to agree with me. But the weird thing is - "

The back door opened, and the two little girls came out, almost exact opposites – Callie Maxwell with her dark hair and eyes, and Amy, Relena and Heero's daughter, with Relena's blond hair and Heero's captivating dark blue eyes. Amy, a year younger than her best friend, climbed up on her father's lap and said, "Dad, I'm tired."

Callie chose to sit in an empty chair, and nodded in agreement.

"Boy, that's a first," Hilde said with a raised eyebrow.

Callie made a face almost involuntarily, and Duo couldn't help but laugh.

"We're going, honey," Heero said to his daughter.

"Yeah, we better go," Relena stood, pushing in her chair and pulling on her jacket. "Thanks for dinner, Hilde."

Duo and Hilde rose, too. Hilde smiled and said, "Anytime, Relena. Are we still on for your house tomorrow evening with the Winners?"

Heero nodded, also pushing in his chair and lifting his daughter onto his shoulders. "Thank goodness it's not Wufei. Lately, he and Duo are pretty…well – "

"Combustible," Relena supplied wryly, following Hilde to the door.

"That's not funny," Duo retorted.

Heero and Relena exited the house, waving goodbye and with Heero throwing over his shoulder, "You never are, Duo."

**23:32 PM**

It was late October, and as they drove home it began to snow the first snowfall of the season. Amy was asleep in the backseat, and Relena had leaned her seat back to relax.

"I swear, she makes the _best_ angel food cake in the _world_," Relena murmured, closing her eyes.

Heero grinned. "Duo told me it was a mix."

Relena opened her eyes. "You're kidding."

"Nope."

"Duo's kidding."

"Actually, for once I don't think he was."

Relena groaned. "Oh, that's not funny."

Heero smiled, then after a moment said thoughtfully, "Who was that young man you were talking about earlier? The one that agreed with you on the movement?"

"Somebody Maclemury," Relena said, making a face. "I don't think I like him very much."

"Tell me about him."

Relena smiled at her husband. Even after more than five years working in the Preventers he was still a mercenary soldier at heart, taking in information and storing it away for future use. "Well, he's smart. Very smart. He's got a Ph.D. and he majored summa-cum-laude in anatomy and medicine, but he says that he's got a feel for politics."

"He said that?"

"I quote."

"Go on."

"The thing is, he really does 'have a feel' for the business. He's already got Schwartz wrapped around his finger – very, very persuasive."

"So are you."

Relena smiled. "Anyway, we were in the monthly meeting – everybody important from the Colonies and the Earth – discussing the Gundam movement. Of course everybody knows I oppose it completely, but then again everybody knows I'm married to you." Heero grinned but kept silent. "But Senator Yates brought up this argument we had the _last_ meeting about the publicity and everything from when we first returned from the mess five years ago, and of course after he finished I was ready to stand up and give him a piece of my mind."

"Did you?"

"No," Relena said, still sounding slightly puzzled about the whole thing. "But only because he stood up first."

"Somebody Maclemury?"

"I think his name is Charles."

"Very fancy."

"Well, it's Charles Maclemury the Third."

Heero snorted.

"Anyway, he stood up and started yelling – _yelling_, Heero, and nobody yells in a meeting like this – about how the Gundam pilots have done wonders for society today – "

Heero had a fleeting image of Duo's broken-down mechanics shop and smiled wryly.

" – and how bringing the Gundams back would only complicate things further, that we'd have an uproar with the press and museums would throw fits and the Department of Defense would give a full-scale fight to get them as weapons. Basically, exactly what I was going to say, minus a few certain words, of course."

Heero grinned again.

"But what was even more amazing was the fact that they listened to him, Heero. I was just sitting there staring with my mouth open because nobody ever takes my side in discussions about the Gundam pilots, and Schwartz and Yates and even Rowlings were completely brought to see my side. I think I was in shock for the rest of the meeting."

"And you've never seen him before?"

"Once or twice, but never in a Senate meeting like this."

"How did he get there? He's not really somebody important, is he?"

"I suppose he is," Relena said thoughtfully. "Somebody said he was related to Chairman Flanders, but I'm not entirely sure. In any case, he certainly looked like he belonged there."

"What does he look like?"

"Mmm…blonde hair, blue eyes, tall, strong-looking. Handsome, I guess – he was followed around the entire day by a girl who must be a supermodel – but he's just…I don't know…_stiff_." Relena made a face. "And did I mention conceited?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean conceited. Arrogant. Self-absorbed. Stuck-up. Egotistical."

"Ouch."

"I went up to him afterwards and asked his name and everything – hey, I was curious – and he gave me this look like I was _dirt_, Heero. Dirt. And then he gave me this snappy, little polite reply and complimented himself. I asked what college he went to – Yates was watching me, I had to make conversation – and he went off on this spill about how he graduated with honors from high school and got a full scholarship to the best university available. _Not_ a nice guy."

"Sorry."

Relena shook her head. "I just…ooh, I don't know, I just hate people that think they're the best things in the world."

Heero rubbed her shoulder lightly. "Don't let him get to you."

Relena smiled and closed her eyes. "Trust me, I won't. Life is too good to let a jerk like that ruin it."

Heero grinned and let her fall asleep, realizing not for the first time that the past five years had been the happiest of his life.

If only he knew that all of it would be gone by ten o'clock the next morning.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 **

**26 OCTOBER 293 - SUNDAY**

**09:53 AM**

Heero awoke the next morning with the sun shining on his face and Relena in his arms. He had slept in; he could tell that immediately, and felt a slight twinge of panic, but then remembered that it was Saturday and closed his eyes again.

After a few moments, Relena elbowed him in the ribs and murmured, slightly groggy, "Do me the biggest and best favor of your life."

"What's that?"

"Make breakfast for once, will you?"

Heero groaned but opened his eyes again. "All right, but you'll have to be punished. I'll have to take you somewhere terribly romantic for dinner next week."

Relena smiled sleepily and, with her eyes closed, threw a pillow at him.

Heero stood and dressed slowly, still yawning. As he strode out of the room, Relena called, "Wake Amy up, will you?" Heero didn't reply, but as he passed his daughter's door he knocked once and called, "Time to get up, Amy!"

Heero went downstairs and into the spacious kitchen, opening the curtains and rummaging through the refrigerator to find the eggs and then the ingredients for pancake batter. In a half-hour he had the entire meal finished, and he sat down at the table with his own plate.

"Food's done, Re! Come on, Amy!"

Relena appeared down the stairs just a few minutes later, tying her bathrobe and yawning. "Where is she?"

"Coming," Heero replied shortly, focusing on his eggs.

"Did she say that?"

He made a face.

Relena gave him a mock glare and called, "Amy, sweetie, breakfast!"

There was no sound from upstairs, but Heero shrugged. "She's up. You know how she is."

"Yeah, as silent as you were," Relena said, grabbing a plate and sitting down across from him.

"Still are, sometimes."

"It's not a good thing, Heero."

"I'm not saying I'm proud of it."

Relena speared a piece of syrupy pancake and ate it hungrily. "Well, at least you can cook. I'm keeping you just for that, you know."

Heero grinned and held up a piece of egg on his fork. "Better watch what you're saying. I'm armed and dangerous."

Smiling, Relena shook her head and continued to eat. "The last time you did that I kicked your butt."

"Like I said – I remember."

Relena paused with her fork midway to her mouth. "Where is that girl?"

Heero realized that his daughter still wasn't with them and the grin faded from his face. "She knows she's not allowed to go outside without permission, doesn't she?"

Relena nodded. "She's probably still sleeping."

Heero stood up, taking his cup with him. "I'll go get her." He left the table, heading for the stairway. But Relena called, "Would you grab the paper?" With a grin, Heero turned mid-stride and headed for the front door instead.

But the instant he came within five feet from the door, Heero stopped short.

_The door was unlocked and ajar._

The cup he was holding fell to his feet with a crash. Pieces of glass flew in all directions.

"Heero?" Relena called from the kitchen. "You okay?"  
Swallowing, Heero didn't move, hoping that Relena had forgotten to lock in when she came in last night. "Come here, Re."

He heard her chair being pushed back, and her footsteps as she followed him to the entryway. "Is everything okay?"

Relena came up behind him, and the minute she saw what he saw she let out a gasp.

"Oh…my…g –"

But Heero was gone, tearing past the kitchen and taking the staircase three stairs at a time. He sprinted down the hallway, past his and Relena's room, past the bathroom, past the guest room, and arrived at Amy's door. To his horror, he found that it, too, was ajar, and cursed himself for failing to notice sooner. He stopped with his hand centimeters above the doorknob, praying that what he thought had happened was just the result of living his life amid war and fighting. A delusion. Nothing more. But then he heard Relena behind him, and with a surge of fear, swung open the door.

Immediately he saw the window, wide open, and Amy's bed, with the blankets gone and the pillows and countless stuffed animals all over the floor. Relena gave a strangled cry as Heero darted to the window. As he turned around she knew that everything was gone, everything they had had in the past five years. Their daughter had been kidnapped, and he realized suddenly that everything was going to change.

**12:02 PM**

Two hours later saw Heero and Relena – along with the Maxwells and the Winners – in the police headquarters. Zechs Marquise – Relena's brother, who had returned from a business trip to L5 just the night before – and his wife, Lucrezia Noin, were there also.

Heero found instantly that he didn't like the police chief. He was the very stereotype of a policeman; potbelly, gruff, and he even had a donut in his hand.

"Sir, I realize that you're daughter is missing –"

"Kidnapped," Heero said sternly.

The police chief – McFarland, read his glaze-splattered nameplate – said very slowly, as if explaining to a three-year-old, "We have no evidence, sir. Your daughter probably ran away – "

"She did _not_," Relena said firmly.

McFarland turned and started, recognizing her for the first time. "Oh – Miss – Miss Relena, ma'am, I'm so sorry – "

"My daughter is four and a half years old, sir," said Heero, without a trace of humor or light in his normally laughing dark eyes. "She would not run away. She was kidnapped, and I have evidence to prove it."

McFarland snorted. "Sir, any evidence _you_ must have taken is almost certainly _not_ valid, as you are only a civilian and not licen– "

"And a former Gundam pilot."

That shut the chief up quickly. He did a complete double take, then studied Heero more closely with his beady little eyes. "Wha? Did you say _Gundam _pilot, man?"

"Yes, I did," Heero said with a raised eyebrow and a stern glare. "I am a former Gundam pilot, along with these two other men." Taking their cue, Duo and Quatre stepped forward, both with folded arms and solemn faces. Relena would have laughed if the situation hadn't been so serious.

"You see?" Heero said. "Don't you dare tell me that I can't find evidence and you can, sir, my wife deserves to be police chief more than you do."

At the chief's outraged expression, Zechs came to stand next to Heero and said, "Forgive my brother-in-law, Chief. He's saddened and angry because of his daughter's _kidnapping_." Zechs emphasized the word, then continued apologetically, "Originally we would have gone to the Service, sir, but your headquarters was closer. We would appreciate any help that you could offer before we move to the Preventers."

The police chief nodded furiously and said, his words jumbled in his hurry, "Y-yes, of course, sir, right away. Please, take a seat, there's nothing you can do anymore."

Heero glared at the chief's chubby back as he retreated hastily and moved to head straight for the door, but Zechs grabbed him firmly by the arm. "Listen to the man, Heero," he hissed under his breath. "There is _nothing_ you can do right now. Wait until they investigate the place."

Heero, angered, tried to tear away from Zechs's grip, but his brother-in-law held firm.

"I'm serious, Heero. I _know_ your skills, but let the police do their jobs." He lowered his voice. "I'll sneak some Preventers in on the case anyhow, just to make sure they don't…overlook anything. Besides," Zechs added after a slight pause. "I think Relena needs you more than the police force does right now."

Heero glanced up at his wife. She was standing alone with her arms wrapped around her chest, her gaze on the ground. Even from fifteen feet away he could see the tears on her face. As always when she cried, Heero felt his heart twinge. He _hated_ to see her sad. _Hated_ it. It gave him the absolute worst feeling in the world, like his very being was tearing into two pieces. He couldn't stand to see her cry, because it made him feel guilty and immediately he had to apologize or comfort or encourage or _something_.

Swallowing, he nodded to Zechs. With a small sigh of relief, Zechs released Heero and, with his wife, exited the police office to head straight for the Preventers HQ.

Heero paused a moment before approaching Relena, but Quatre reached him before he could move. The blonde-haired pilot squeezed his friend's shoulder briefly, then said in his gentle voice, "Don't worry about a thing, Heero. With five Gundam pilots, the entire police force, and every squad of Preventers on the case, whoever kidnapped your daughter doesn't stand a chance." Quatre paused, then lifted his blonde-haired son, Samuel, onto his hip.

Heero nodded his thanks and watched Quatre leave with his wife, Dorothy. No sooner had the Winners left than the Maxwells came up to him.

Callie and Hilde had both been crying, and even Duo was far, far more serious than usual. Nathan was at home with a last-minute sitter (the Changs). Without a second thought, Hilde gave Heero a brief hug and said in a shaky voice, "We'll help in any way you can, Heero. Whatever you need – "

"I know, Hilde," Heero said quietly. "Thanks for everything. Go home and don't worry about us."

Hilde left, but not before giving a sarcastic, "Like that's ever going to happen" through her tears.

Duo stayed just a moment longer, to give Heero a brief one-armed hug too. "Hold up, okay, man? Don't go leaving on me. We'll find her, you know we will, right? We'll kick that son of a gun's butt, don't you worry. You got the God of Death on your side, remember?"

Heero attempted a small smile, and, not really satisfied but at least assured, Duo left.

Finally, Heero turned and pulled Relena into a hug. As soon as she was in his arms, the silent tears turned to heaving sobs, wracking her body and filling the empty waiting room. Feeling tears prick at his own eyes and coming dangerously near to falling steadily down his face, Heero held her tight and let her cry.

**17:49 PM**

They all had dinner at Zechs's house that night – late, because the entire day had been filled with police force investigations, interviews, statements, and Preventer paperwork. Relena kept her chin high and her eyes dry through the rest of the day, but Heero could see straight through the façade like none of the others could. That face was her Queen of the World face; her mask. Behind it she was hurting as badly – maybe even worse – as he was. Heero knew exactly how she felt; he, too, wore a mask that day, for the first time in a long time.

For the beginning of dinner, Lucrezia was absent; she was putting their youngest children, the twins Carter and Caleb, to bed. They were three, almost four, and still loved to be put to bed by their mother. They had been born just six months after Amy had been born, and Heero himself had a special place in his heart for the two little boys.

There had been another birth in the circle of friends, besides Lucrezia's twins and Hilde's Nathan – quiet Rebecca had given birth to a beautiful little girl, hers and Trowa's second after five-year-old Lira, and named her Tess. And even _that_ wasn't all – both Sally and Dorothy were, once again, pregnant together and both due within a week of each other – in about one month, there would be two more additions to their families, respectively.

Dinner began silently; nobody was entirely sure how to act around Heero and Relena. But then Duo bravely struck up a conversation, and slowly, everyone joined in.

"At least the interviews are over with," Relena said quietly, watching her plate. Heero gave her a tender look; he knew how much pain and helplessness she felt. Duo caught the look and felt a twinge of sympathy for his friend – the worst feeling in the world for Heero was helplessness.

"Completely done?" asked Hilde.

Relena nodded, picking at her food. Zechs eyed his sister and her sudden lack of hunger – Relena was always hungry. Swallowing, he said, "Do you have anything tomorrow?"

"No," she replied quietly. "But I do day after tomorrow."

Heero raised an eyebrow.

"They've scheduled an emergency Senate meeting," she said reluctantly. "On my behalf, apparently."

Heero dropped his fork and sat back, slightly angered. "As if the Senate could do anything about it. All those buffoons know how to do is prance around in tuxedos and evening gowns and compliment people on the wine."

Relena sighed. "I know, Heero. It's not like I have a choice."

Slightly chastened, Heero closed his mouth.

"What are they going to discuss?" asked Sally Po, Wufei's wife and a top-ranking officer in the Preventers.

"Actions that can be taken, I guess," Relena answered forlornly. "Sometimes I really hate my job."

"What kind of actions?" asked Rebecca Barton, Trowa's quiet, red-haired wife.

"Negotiations," Heero answered for his wife, and Relena nodded in agreement. "They'll want to speak with whoever kidnapped Amy and make a deal."

"Which won't happen," cut in Wufei. Relena gave him a humorless, wry smile. "Of course," she said. "But I'm sure you five are planning something."

Heero sighed. "No, not yet." He gritted his teeth. "I'm under orders not to."

Zechs shrugged. "You know why, Heero."

"Don't worry, Relena," said Hilde with what she hoped was a comforting smile. "They'll figure out something so wild and crazy that nobody normal could ever pull it off…but then again, our husbands aren't exactly normal, are they?"

"No, they're weird," Heero answered, with a pointed look at Duo.

**28 OCTOBER 293 - TUESDAY**

**06:39 AM**

Heero and Relena didn't sleep at their house that night, but nobody blamed them. Instead, they spent the next two nights at Zechs's spacious estate, sleeping in a very familiar guest room – they slept over at the Relena's brother's house quite often. The morning of the Senate meeting, Relena was up before Heero. She took a quick shower, dressed, and sat in the windowsill, watching the snowflakes fall steadily. Ten minutes later, Heero was up and sitting beside her, pulling her into his arms. She had cried herself to sleep the last two nights, and, as always when she was sad, Heero felt terrible.

"We're going to find her, you know," he said softly.

Relena took a deep, shuddering breath. "I know," she replied. "But I can't help and wonder what they're doing to her, Heero. I want her _here_, right now. In my arms. I want her sitting next to me while I read or study or sign papers, playing with her Barbies and getting mud all over my clothes. I want her laugh, her smile, her questions…" Relena trailed off, tears streaming down her face again.

Heero took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "So do I, Re. So do I."

**14:21 PM**

Heero drove her to the meeting later on that afternoon. The snow had turned slowly but steadily to rain, thick, fat drops that splattered on the windshield. Ominous black storm clouds were making their way to them from the west, and Heero expected a thunderstorm before five that evening. Relena sat the entire ride with her eyes out on the rain, her hand in Heero's. Watching her, Heero was overwhelmed with a familiar feeling of admiration. Her only daughter, her only child, had just been kidnapped, and here she was, continuing her work with that same aggressive, determined face and the kind heart. Heero had been given time off from his busy job as a Preventers officer – of course, with Zechs as his supervisor, that was to be expected. But Relena had to keep going, and Heero knew that if he were she, he wouldn't be able to stand it.

They arrived at City Hall – a _huge_ building, but then again it was Relena Peacecraft (Yuy)'s City Hall – amid countless limousines and fancy cars. Heero got out with Relena amid the stream of reporters and spectators and guided her inside. The security guards at City Hall knew him on a first-name basis – and feared him too. Right before he left, however, Relena said softly, "Pick me up, too?"

With a smile that didn't reach his eyes, Heero gave her a brief hug and a kiss and was gone. Strengthened by his comfort, Relena turned and followed the stately line of so-called 'important people' to the meeting hall.

**15:06 PM**

"…and I tell you, for the _third_ time, Senator Yates, that they will _not_ negotiate," Relena said sternly, her eyes flashing as she glared across the room at the chubby man opposite her.

"But you do not have _proof_. You do not even know who these people are. There is no way you can tell us truthfully that you know they will not negotiate with our terms if you do not know who _they_ are." Yates sat down, looking proud of himself.

Relena felt her blood boil. If someone asked her to name the absolute worst thing about politicians, she knew exactly what she would say: Their absolute, total confidence that _they_ were right and no one else. Clenching her fists, Relena opened her mouth to give a sharp and fierce retort, when suddenly she was cut off.

"But surely you must agree, Senator Yates, that the people who did this are professionals."

Knowing exactly who had stopped her, Relena turned around to meet the handsome, blue-eyed gaze of Charles Maclemury and couldn't help but glare at him.

Charles gave a little smirk and continued, "They broke into the home of a former Gundam pilot, the best soldier known in the world today, and kidnapped his daughter without either Mr. Yuy or his wife noticing until later that morning. I think I am safe in saying, sir, that only somebody with skill and long hours of training could have done this."

Yates gave one of his trademark little smirks. "But surely, after all these years since actually _piloting_ a Gundam, Mr. Yuy must have…gone a little soft."

Relena caught the sarcasm, stiffened, and turned her glare to Senator Yates. "I beg the differ," she said, fighting to stay calm. "My husband is as capable as he was twelve years ago, I assure you – as a matter of fact, I'd go as far to say he's even better. Besides, Gundam pilots were trained to keep _and_ remember their training, Senator."

"But surely – "

"_Senator_," Relena said sternly. "Considering my past experience, I believe you should trust my judgment on this particular dispute."

That shut Yates up. Nobody argued with Relena on matters of the Gundam pilots – if only because nobody knew half as much as she did.

"As I was saying," said Charles, and Relena gave an inward sigh, half expecting him to say, _'Before I was so rudely interrupted…'_ She certainly wouldn't have put it past him. "I believe we are safe in declaring that the people who kidnapped Amy Yuy were professionals and therefore would not agree to any terms of negotiations. It has been three full days since the believed time of the little girl's kidnapping, and we have received no ransom note and no mysterious phone calls. I believe we should think about something other than negotiations for this particular situation."

As much as Relena had come to dislike him, she was completely on his side – reluctantly, of course, but for her daughter she was willing to team up with a conceited snob.

"What do you suggest, Mr. Maclemury?" she asked politely, but nobody could mistake the disdain in her eyes.

He gave her a victorious, triumphant grin and then turned to face the Senate, saying boldly, "I think that we should take action. Not political action, with treaties and deals and trades, but real action. Let's send out the best search team we've got, with the best and most up-to-date equipment and weapons, and bring back our Vice Foreign Minister's daughter."

He knew what he was doing, Relena had to admit. The 'best search team' they had was the Gundam pilots, of course, and he knew it. He was trying to tear her away from her husband while making himself look brilliant. Everybody knew that Relena was less forceful, more gullible, when her husband wasn't around. Just _what_ he wanted her to be gullible for, she didn't know, and she didn't want to find out.

Senator Denton Schwartz, infamous for his quick, blazing temper and gigantic stubborn streak, stood up to have a word and Relena felt her stomach sink. "I, for one," he said, his deep bass voice booming across the room. Relena didn't sit down; she figured she'd have to argue this one out too, Charles or no Charles. "I think that young Mr. Maclemury here is right."

Relena did a double take. Schwartz _never_ took her side.

"I think this Senate is infamous for its constant tries to negotiate with criminals and enemies," Schwartz continued. "And I think I am right in saying that, quite often, we fail. The fact is, criminals and enemies do _not_ want to talk; they either want money, a trade, or in the worst cases, revenge. Now, all of these could be possible for the current crime that has been committed, but considering that the little girl who was kidnapped is Heero and Relena Yuy's daughter, I am ready to say that, this time, it is revenge that is wanted. My years in the military and service for the Earth Nation has left me with knowledge of what goes on in the twisted minds of criminals, and I completely agree with Mr. Maclemury – and yes, Relena, you too," he added, giving her a stern glance. Another thing she hated about Schwartz – he called her by her first name only, something he never did for anybody else. He still treated her like the naïve little seventeen-year-old who had first stood in a Senate and made her opinions known to the world. Everyone else seemed to have caught on that that naïve little girl was gone, but not Schwartz.

Brad Wilshaw, a man in his late sixties that had been in politics his entire life and had known Relena's father, stood up. "Then I believe that we can adjourn this council, ladies and gentlemen. Action – real action – will be taken immediately." He paused, then added in a softer tone, "And I'm sure Mrs. Peacecraft will be wanting to return to her husband."

Relena swallowed, giving Wilshaw a grateful glance. He was the most grandfatherly figure in her life, something that she was extremely thankful for. Sometimes he was the only person in the Senate to take her side and gently help the rest to see their point of view – that was, until Mr. Charles Maclemury the Third came along.

The board was dismissed, and everybody exited in quiet lines. As soon as they were back in the large entry hall, however, people split into small groups to discuss what they had heard. A few people were shooting Relena and Schwartz angry or disdainful glances, but, Relena noticed, nobody seemed hostile towards Maclemury.

It had been something she had had to deal with her entire life; because she was raised by an adoptive father until she met the Gundam pilots, Relena had had almost no political experience until she was almost seventeen. Then, she had been moved to the front of the line immediately, and everybody was expected to obey this supposedly immature young woman. And even if she had proved herself countless times, many people preferred to follow pedigreed, well-brought-up people like Maclemury instead of somebody like Relena. And, as primitive as it may seem, a few even looked down on her because she was female.

Wilshaw met her just inside the front doors with a gentle and sympathetic smile. Feeling just a bit impulsive, Relena gave him a quick hug and a murmured, "Thanks." Before she left, however, he caught her hand and replied quietly, "Don't worry, Relena. They'll find your daughter."

She gave him another grateful smile. She knew exactly what he was talking about – not the Senate, not Yates, not Maclemury, not even the Preventers – the Gundam pilots. Wilshaw gave her one more hug and then was gone.

With a sigh, Relena opened up her umbrella and stepped outside. They had finished early, but knowing Heero, he'd been there any second. Relena smiled just thinking about him; no other person held her up nearly as much as he did. She knew she wouldn't have been able to keep going to work and the meeting without his comfort and encouragement.

It was still raining; Relena took a deep breath of the smell of rain against pavement and took a seat on one of the nearby benches, keeping her head down. Reporters were still around.

Somebody sat next to her, and Relena scooted over a bit to give them room. Suddenly, whoever it was said in a way-too-confident voice, "I rather enjoyed the look on your face when I beat you to arguing with Yates."

Her head snapped up immediately to meet Charles Maclemury's blue eyes. Handsome all right, but she caught the self-assured smirk under what he obviously thought was a pleasant smile.

"I don't argue," she shot back. "I debate. I give my opinion."

"I saw your face," he retorted. "You were ready to chew him out."

"Actually, I was ready to chew _you_ out."

"What?" he asked, the 'pleasant' smile dropping off instantly. "Miss Perfect Peacecraft doesn't like that somebody else has the entire Senate wrapped around their finger?"

"I don't like that you're bribing them," Relena retorted, her eyes flashing. "In the long run, it won't work. Believe me."

Charles raised a skeptical eyebrow. "I was born into politics, Miss Peacecraft."

"I'm married, Mr. Maclemury," she snapped. "Keep up to date on your current events."

"Oh, yes, married to that perfect husband of yours – "

"You keep my husband out of this," Relena interrupted him angrily.

"What about your husband?"

Relena turned around at the very familiar voice to see Heero standing behind her, an alert expression on his face. She gave him a warning glance and then turned back to Charles.

"Perfect timing. Mr. Maclemury, meet my husband, Heero."

Heero raised an eyebrow, but offered his hand. Charles, however, kept his hands in his pockets.

"Nice to meet you too," Heero said, shooting Relena a glance.

"Oh yes," Charles said silkily, and Relena immediately noticed a change in his tone. "Pleasure's all mine. Wonderful to finally meet the former top Gundam pilot, the one everybody talks about in complete awe. It's definitely a nice surprise to find that somebody so – so _revered_ isn't conceited and full of himself, now is it? Then again," he added as a supposed afterthought. "I don't know you very well, do I?"

Heero folded his arms and appeared cool and calm, but Relena caught the flash of dislike and mild surprise in his eyes. "Do you always start conversations this way?"

"Against somebody who obviously _is_ conceited and self-assured, yes."

Relena gave a derisive snort and couldn't hold back an admittedly childish comeback. "Look who's talking."

He gave her a distasteful glare. "Miss Peacecraft – "

"_Mrs_."

She didn't miss Heero's sudden grin.

"Mrs. Peacecraft," Charles said, switching his glare to Heero. "I am above arguments with people who obviously have no idea what they are talking about, and who have no idea how to run a nation, and I – "

"Just as an observation, Mr. Maclemury," Heero said in his quiet, mild tone. "I believe Relena is the one holding the position of Vice Foreign Minister and leader of the World Nation, not you. And I believe that the council is going to keep it that way for the next decade at least."

Immediately Charles closed his mouth, giving Heero what was obviously his fiercest glare. Relena glanced at her husband and almost burst out laughing – he was wearing that satisfied little smile that always aggravated her so much when they were fighting. He knew he had won.

"We'll see," he spat, and turned on his heel.

"Mr. Maclemury!" Heero called, and Charles turned slowly. Avoiding Relena's gaze, he said quickly, "Dinner tomorrow night sound good?"

He stopped in his tracks and whirled around, gave Heero a long, scrutinizing gaze. Heero's tone made it a question, but his position and rank made it an instant demand. Charles said spitefully, "If I must."

"Six thirty?"

But he was gone.

Relena was silent until Charles disappeared, then she said slowly, "I hope you have a good reason for that."

"I have a good reason for everything," Heero said, pointedly avoiding the unspoken question.

Relena was silent for a moment, knowing that, whatever his reason, it _was_ good. After a minute, Heero said quietly, "I can see why you don't like him."

Relena smiled a little, and replied, "Actually I've never seen him so – worked up. I really don't think he likes you, Heero."

"Yeah, well, you're not at the top of his favorite person list either."

Relena looked up and caught his grin and the teasing light in his eyes, and gave him a quick kiss. "If you're ready, let's go."

The smile dropped off his face and Heero lowered his voice to a near whisper. "Quatre found out something about Amy. We think we might know where she is."

**AN: Review?? Maybe?? ::hopeful look::**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

**14:58 PM**

Relena had a slight suspicion that Heero wanted to say something about Charles, and sure enough, as soon as they were on the freeway he said, "I think he's up to something."

"Who?"

"Your best friend in the whole world."

Relena smiled a little. "Who, you? Yeah, you're always up to something."

"I meant Mr. Maclemury."

She rolled her eyes. "_Him_."

"I mean it. He's – he's _planning _something."

"And that's why tomorrow night is going to be absolutely terrible. How can you tell that he's hiding something?"

"A lot of things – body language, tone of voice, eye contact. He doesn't like you, but not personally. You know what I mean? It's like he's grown up not liking you – as if he parents or guardians or whoever – "

"Parents. The guy's mom and dad are brilliant, too. Very boring family."

"His parents, then – it's like they kind of built it inside him: 'Relena Peacecraft is _bad_.' He doesn't know you at all – anybody who did would know you're a huge stickler for the Miss/Mrs. thing. He just _thinks_ you're bad, and he believes he's right about everything, so obviously you have to be bad because that's his opinion and everything he believes is right."

"You're very confusing."

"Wait till I get going. So he doesn't know you at all but he hates your guts – sound familiar? Now he probably wants to take over your title. Did you see his face when I told him that you, not him, were the one in control over the World Nation? He was absolutely _livid_. Yeah, angry, but that wasn't what caught me – he started shifting his weight from foot to foot, he dropped his eyes, and he lost that note of confidence in his voice. He's hiding something, Re. Either a plot or a secret or whatever, he's up to something."

"What do you propose we do about it?"

Heero sighed. "Feed him dinner and have a polite if aggravating conversation tomorrow. Besides that, I don't know. That' s what I hate about politics – there are so many secrets and you can never do anything to uncover them. People argue and debate over things that don't matter at all to them, then go home and gossip about those other people, plot, and overthrow the ones they hate just so they can argue and debate some more – and nobody, except a select few, realize the value in those arguments and debates and overthrows."

Relena said quietly, looking out the window, "In one sentence, you just described what I do for a living."

**15:12 PM**

"Well, to tell the truth, I did a little bit of a crime scene investigation myself," Quatre admitted sheepishly as he flipped open his laptop. "The police were off the scene, of course, and there were only a few Preventers around, so I pretty much had free reign."

Relena glanced at Heero and said quietly, "I think you're rubbing off on him."

Heero grinned a little and Quatre couldn't help but laugh. "If he's rubbing off on me, everybody better back off. He's a much better shot with a pistol and if I get my hands on one of those I'm – well, destructive. In a bad way. Anyway, I didn't find much, except a single fingerprint on the windowsill. It didn't look like Heero's or yours, Relena, so I got a copy and did a scan here at home. Now, I don't know if you know this guy or not – I've never heard of him before – but obviously he's a very important person. You recognize this guy?"

Quatre hit a button on his keyboard, and up flashed a picture of none else than Charles Maclemury the Third.

"Now, I haven't been able to get a name on him – "

"Maclemury," Heero said instantly, glancing at Relena. "Charles Maclemury."

"The third," Relena added furiously. "_He_ kidnapped my daughter? That lying, cheating son of a –"

"I never said that," Quatre interrupted quickly while Heero moved to clapped a hand over his wife's mouth. "All this means is that sometime in the past week and a half he was in your house, particularly in Amy's room."

"Where exactly did you find the print?" Heero asked.

"On the windowsill, outside bottom left corner, pointing downwards."

"So he wasn't coming _in_, he was going out."

"Presumably, if he was exiting at all."

"True – he could have just been observing. Looking at something."

"Or investigating ways to escape with my daughter and then –" Heero clapped a hand over Relena's mouth again.

"Well, he's not going anywhere," Heero said grimly. "We'll see him tomorrow evening and make sure of that."

"Thanks for reminding me," Relena said unhappily. "I'm not cooking."

Heero raised an eyebrow. "If he kidnapped Amy, you are cooking, because I'll be too busy researching to do anything tomorrow."

"I hate you sometimes, I really do," Relena made a face.

"Yeah, I know, but you have to put up with me."

"Heero, I don't know if I can spend the entire evening tomorrow with a man who might've kidnapped my daughter."

"I really don't think he did, Re."

"I agree with Heero," Quatre said quietly, interrupting for the first time.

"Why? You found fingerprints –"

"I never said he wasn't involved, Re. I just said he wasn't the one _personally_ who kidnapped Amy. He could've planned it, perhaps, but he didn't do it. He's got too much at stake to kidnap our daughter."

"Especially Heero's daughter," Quatre added. "In any case, he's definitely a suspect." He paused, then said uneasily, "Um…Dorothy and I were going to take Samuel to a movie or something tonight. If you don't mind?"

Relena couldn't help but smile. She knew how polite Quatre always tried to be and he hated having to ask people to leave. "Of course, Quatre. We're going right now." She paused as both she and Heero rose to leave. "Just out of curiosity, where do you think he'll go?"

"Well, now that I know who it is," Quatre said thoughtfully. "I remember a little bit about him. He was born on a Colony and has a business and friends there."

"Where?" Heero asked.

"L1, I believe."

Relena gave a low groan as she and Heero exited. "I have really come to hate that Colony. Everything bad happens on L1."

"Thanks a bunch," Quatre heard Heero retort as they left his house. "I was born there."

**29 OCTOBER 293 - WEDNESDAY**

**18:30 PM**

At six o'clock, the table was set, the food was ready, and Relena was in the shower. Heero was dressed and ready, down in the kitchen swallowing two Tylenol and hoping to high heaven that his headache would go away. Nearly twelve hours at a laptop researching a certain Charles Maclemury had done a number on his brain.

At exactly six twenty-five, the doorbell rang. Heero went to answer it while Relena finished up upstairs, knowing how hassled and stressed she felt.

Charles Maclemury stood on his doorstep, with a very attractive woman hanging on his arm. Heero raised an eyebrow, but held out a hand in greeting and said, "Pleasure to see you again, Mr. Maclemury."

This time, Charles shook his hand and said, "Thank you for inviting me, Mr. Yuy. This is my good friend, Katja Schbeiker."

Heero did a double take after glancing over the woman. _Schbeiker_? _What in the world…_

"Pleased to meet you, too, miss," Heero said politely, giving her a nod. She gave him a simpering smile. Grimacing inwardly, Heero backed away from the door and said, "Please come in. My wife should be down any minute."

He led them to the dining room, and as soon as they sat down Relena appeared, dressed in clothes that were formal enough to make an impression and casual enough to be comfortable. Perfect taste, as usual. Heero gave her a glance of approval before anything was said and she acknowledged it with a small smile.

"And here is the lovely Mrs. Yuy," Charles said, with an obvious hint of sarcasm in his voice. He rose, however, and shook her hand.

"Good to see you again, Mr. Maclemury."

"Call me Charles, please."

"And who is your guest?" Relena asked politely, sitting down next to Heero. He saw her give a lingering glance to the chair where Amy usually sat, then focus back on the woman next to Charles.

"This is my friend, Katja Schbeiker. She's visiting for a while and I invited her to come along. I certainly hope you don't mind," he explained, raising an eyebrow.

Relena shot a glance to Heero, but he didn't move. "Of course not," she said, and Heero could tell she was slightly uneasy. The woman even looked like Hilde – dark hair, dark eyes, slim form, dazzling smile. But neither of them could remember Hilde ever mentioning a sister. "Pleased to meet you, Miss Schbeiker."

"Katja, please," the woman said in a melodious voice, giving Relena her perfect smile again. Heero groaned inwardly. He hated women like that. "It's such an honor to finally meet you, Mrs. Yuy. You've been such a role model for all of us."

Neither Heero nor Relena missed the fact that, unlike Charles, Katja had called Relena by her married last name, or the very slight note of scorn in her voice. With a simple nod, Relena served herself and then passed around the first few platters of food.

Dinner proceeded and went well at first, with very polite conversation. Heero didn't say much, Relena noticed; mostly he just listened. Occasionally he asked a question about supposedly random things, but Relena knew he was finding out all he could.

"Has there been anything found in relation to your daughter?" Katja asked at one point.

Relena had swallowed and glanced at Heero. They never shared anything that was strictly 'Gundam pilot' business, but she wasn't sure if what Quatre had found qualified. Heero gave her a very brief warning glance, and she replied promptly, "Nothing except a few unidentifiable fingerprints and footprints."

Katja clicked her tongue. "I'm so sorry, Relena. I feel so bad for you. Hopefully your daughter will be found quickly."

She seemed sincere, but Charles, seated next to her, rolled his eyes. Heero caught it and said quickly, "What do you think, Mr. Maclemury?"

"I think the police force and the Preventers are doing terrible jobs," Charles said immediately. He sounded sincere but Relena doubted that he meant what he was saying. Charles paused, then said quickly, "Not you, of course, Mr. Yuy. I meant the investigative force in general; they might've overlooked important things that are too small and difficult for them to find. Something that might be found by a more skilled team."

Heero didn't even glance at Relena; both Charles and Katja were watching them closely. Heero had an uncomfortable feeling in the pit of his stomach; Charles knew something he didn't.

"What do you mean by that?" he asked, keeping his voice casual.

"Nothing much," Charles said indifferently, taking the last slice of pie from the platter. "I just had some of my buddies and me look into it."

Relena stiffened, and Heero felt his stomach drop again. "And did you find anything?"

"Nothing much," he repeated, twirling his fork in the air. "Just a few…clues."

Feigning indifference, Heero took another bite of pie and nodded. Relena, following his lead, relaxed and stood to clear the table.

"You're not interested?" Katja asked with her slight trace of a German accent. "I, for one, would like to know what you found, Charlie."

From behind their backs, Relena raised an eyebrow at Heero and mouthed, _Charlie?_ Heero gave her a small smile and listened to Charles – Charlie's – reply. "Like I said, Katja, nothing really big. A few fingerprints and whatnot." He paused and glanced up to see Heero's reaction. He had stood up to help Relena clear the table and simply nodded in Charles's direction. "Don't tell me you or any of your…comrades, shall I say, didn't investigate yourself?"

"I have full trust in the police force and especially the Preventers. Of course I didn't investigate," Heero lied easily. Relena smiled to herself as she took their guests' plates. "They do their jobs well and efficiently. I'm sure they found everything that was there."

Charles gave an audible snort and Katja said hurriedly, "Well, they must have overlooked _something_. No one's perfect."

"I don't know," Relena said mildly. "When it comes to military things like this, some people are so good they're known as perfect. The perfect soldier, even."

Heero caught her glance and grinned behind their guests' back.

"Well," Charles said suddenly, standing up so quickly his chair almost fell over. "I should be going." He shook Relena's hand very quickly, turned abruptly from Heero's, then whirled and almost dragged Katja to the door. They left before Relena could say anything, leaving both her and Heero nearly stunned.

"That was interesting," Heero remarked, staring at the slammed door.

"I've never seen people leave that fast," Relena said, carrying the plates to the sink. "Now, I hope that the conversation tonight fulfilled your hopes of finding out the secrets of the Maclemury family, because that man is never stepping foot inside my house again."

"I didn't exactly find out the secrets of the Maclemury family, no, but I know for sure that he knows something I don't."

Relena shot him a glance. "That's dangerous, knowing something a Gundam pilot doesn't."

"Dangerous for him or for me?"

"Both."

"Agreed. In any case, I think I'll go to L1 anyhow. The evidence Quatre found will certainly - "

"I'm going with you."

Heero took one look at the expression in her eyes and knew that he didn't have a choice. "Sure, Re. Do you think you can take a couple days off?"

Relena gave him a long look and then said slowly, "It'll take more than a couple days, won't it?"

Heero grinned humorlessly. There wasn't much he could keep from her. "Probably."

"They'll let me go," Relena said, lifting her chin and struggling to be strong. "I'll tell them I'm going insane."

Heero gave her a hug, then went to the vidcam room, muttering under his breath, "Too late."

"I heard that!"


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

As Relena had expected, the Senate allowed her leave. The time limit was not discussed, which Relena was extremely thankful for; Heero had no idea how long they'd be gone, and to ask the Senate for a leave of months was something no one had the courage - or stupidity - to do. They would have labeled her insane...if they didn't already.

The other Gundam pilots and their families had offered to come, of course, but Relena and Heero had steadfastly refused their offers. Everyone had their own lives now; everyone had children, everyone had jobs, and everyone had other duties that could not be overlooked. They weren't young couples anymore; they were mothers and fathers, and bosses and employers - and Relena knew it as well as any of them. She knew was it was like to have to make time to babysit for the Maxwells, and arrange her schedule so Amy could have someone to watch her when Heero had an emergency meeting and Relena had Senate hearings. And she also knew everyone was worrying about her family terribly, and the last thing she wanted was to heap more burdens upon their shoulders.

Thankfully, they all agreed, eventually. Heero and Duo had one of their blazing arguments, and despite the fact that it gave her a headache, Relena was touched; Duo was Heero's best friend, second only to Relena herself, and either would gladly lay down his life for the other. They were buddies of the deepest kind.

Zechs had arranged a flight for them; actually, he had loaned Heero one of his personal ships. The package came with a pilot and co-pilot, and a chef, too - Zechs liked traveling in style - but Heero quickly turned all of them out. He had never had a need for a pilot in his life, and he knew Relena needed some time to herself. With other people besides him there, she would have to don her 'public face' again, and Heero could see it was beginning to crumble.

**30 OCTOBER 293 - THURSDAY**

**06:56 AM**

They left early in the morning four days after Amy had been kidnapped. The little girl's face was on every news channel, her name on every radio station, on the Earth and Colonies, creating even more of a disturbing atmosphere for Heero and Relena.

It had snowed all night, and as Relena stood outside the ship out on Zech's boarding dock she hugged her arms to herself. Heero was loading their stuff into the ship, with the help of the other pilots, while Relena said goodbye to the wives. Even the children had come along; they seemed to sense the foreboding and anxiety on the air, and stood near their mothers, eyes wide and mouths still. Even Callie Maxwell, easily the most talkative of the group, was holding her baby brother Nathan as she regarded her mother and Relena gravely with her wide, dark eyes.

"You come back soon now, you hear?" Hilde said softly, wrapping Relena in a hug. They were all dressed in winter gear, and the snowflakes stood out sharply against Hilde's dark hair. It was cold outside, bitterly cold for this time of year.

"I'll do my best," Relena replied, attempting a smile.

Sally Po, Wufei's wife and an officer in the Preventers with Heero, also gave her a hug. "Anytime you need backup, you call us."

"Or just a bit of girl talk," Rebecca Barton said, smiling gently. Her red hair framed her slightly freckled face, and the gentle green eyes gazed at Relena comfortingly.

"If something goes wrong," began Lucrezia Noin, Relena's sister-in-law and wife to Zechs. "which it won't, but if it were to, you call us right away." She had Caleb, one of the twins, on her right hip, and ten-year-old Ashlyn was carrying Carter.

Dorothy Catalonia Winner rolled her eyes. "Heaven knows our husbands will be there in five seconds flat."

"She'll be fine," Hilde said firmly, stepping back and surveying Relena. "She's got Heero, after all."

Relena attempted a smile. "Don't be so glum, everybody. We'll be back...soon."

"With Amy," added five-year-old Callie.

Hilde turned and smiled at her daughter, then at Relena. "Yes. With Amy."

Relena nodded, gave them all one last hug, and turned to board the ship.

"If you need anything, you know where to reach us."

Heero straightened from dropping the final box of supplies in the cargo bay and turned to face the speaker. "Quatre," he said with a half-grin, "that's the fifth time you've said that. I'll be fine."

"Actually," Trowa Barton remarked quietly, brushing his hair out of his eyes as he dusted off his hands on his jeans. "It's the sixth."

Quatre blushed, his green eyes sheepish. "I'm "

"Don't be," Heero replied firmly, turning to exit the cargo bay. "We'll be fine."

"Yeah," Duo said. "He's got Relena, he's safe."

Wufei snickered. "What is she going to do, throw some lipstick at any enemies that pop up?"

"More likely bore them to death with speeches," Duo muttered.

"Or run them over with her pink car," Wufei added devilishly.

Trowa turned and raised an eyebrow, and Quatre said, slightly chastising, "You know better than that."

Duo grinned broadly. "We're kidding, Q-man," he said, then turned and gave Heero a brief one-armed hug, slugging him lightly on the shoulder. "Hey, buddy, we'll keep researching down here, okay?"

Heero returned the grin with a quiet smile and the slug with one of his own, and said, "I know. Thanks, Duo. All of you," he added, turning to face them all. Then he turned to leave, but not before throwing over his shoulder at Wufei, "At least she can drive her car."

Wufei's face instantly turned bright red, and he yelled at Heero's retreating back, "That was not my fault! Injustice, Yuy, and - and you know it!"

Duo grinned broadly. "A pity, you know. It was such a nice car, too. What'd it cost again - six months' salary? Eight?"

Catching on, Quatre chuckled lightly. "With all that money, you'd think he'd have paid for driving lessons...or at least a license."

**10:12 AM**

Two hours later saw Heero and Relena safely in space, well on their way to L1. Heero was in the cockpit, getting everything prepared for the docking on the L1 harbor and setting up the autopilot. He finished what he was doing, sat back, and with a sigh decided to go get a drink. He turned, and to his surprise saw Relena watching him from the copilot's seat.

"How long have you been there?" he said, startled. "I didn't hear you come in."

"I know," she said quietly. She was dressed in loose jeans and t-shirt, her hair pulled back in a scrunchie. Her eyes were grave, but a teasing light sparkled as she added, "You concentrate too hard on your work."

The drink forgotten, he sat down next to her and smiled. "That makes two of us."

She smiled, but her mind was clearly on other things. After a moment, the grave light in her eyes returned and she turned to him and ask, "What information do you have?"

Heero didn't have to ask what she meant. He took a long breath, sat back in the chair and replied, "Quatre and Duo found out a few things. Nothing - nothing's for sure, Re."

When she didn't reply, he turned to look at her. She was staring out at the stars, the light of them reflecting in her eyes. Not for the first time, Heero felt the sight of her tug at his heart. She was by far the most beautiful thing he had ever seen, and once again he was overwhelmed by the fact that she had chosen him, of all people, to be her partner for eternity.

Quietly, he slipped out of his chair and came to kneel in front of hers. The starlight was shining off the tears that had gathered in her eyes, and as one gave way and trickled down her cheek, he reached up with two fingers to brush it away. Relena turned to look at him, and at the seriousness - and love - she saw in his eyes, she gave him a tiny smile.

"Don't worry, Relena," he whispered. "There is nowhere they can hide her that I - we - won't find. I promise you that in just a little while we'll be back aboard this ship, and Amy with us."

The tears were dangerously close to spilling over now. Relena brushed at a lock of hair that had fallen loose as she said shakily, "I - I want to believe you, Heero, I really do, I just - "

Silently he gathered her up in his arms and held her tightly. After a moment, she stopped trembling and drew a breath. "It's not just that," she whispered, so quietly he almost missed it.

Heero pulled away to look at her. "What is it, then?" he asked.

"I - I'm afraid, Heero," she admitted, looking at him pleadingly.

"Of what?"

"I'm - it's just that - I'm afraid that...that everything's starting up again," she finally said.

"What do you mean?" he asked apprehensively.

"Everything," she whispered, trembling. "Everything we've been - we haven't had for years, Heero. The - the fighting, and the violence, and the kidnapping - oh, for heaven's sake, Heero, why couldn't it have been me again? Why - why did they have to kidnap her? She's not even five yet, Heero!" Relena's voice had been rising steadily, and now, finally, the tears spilled over. "I can handle me being kidnapped, I can - it's happened before, I can hold up against that - but Amy? What is she thinking? Does - does she blame me for this? Is she -" her voice broke "-even alive? I can't - " but she couldn't continue. The tears choked her throat, her voice, her heart.

And as always, when she was sad, Heero felt his own heart cry out in pain. Tears pricked at his own eyes as he pulled Relena to the floor with him and wrapped her in his arms again. Rocking back and forth slightly, he whispered shakily into her ear, "We - you've raised her well, Relena. She's so strong...she'll - she'll hold up. And she is alive," he said fiercely, squeezing her tightly. "She is alive, and we will get her back. You - you just have to trust me."

"Oh, Heero," came her sobbing voice. He rested his head on hers and closed his eyes as she whispered, "I do. I do. I always have."

**12:47 PM**

"Trouble just seems to follow us everywhere, doesn't it?" Wufei grumbled, in a foul mood as he punched buttons on his laptop angrily. The screen remained stubbornly black. With a cry of rage, he raised a fist and brought it down, but just in time, Trowa grabbed the computer and scooted it out of range. Wufei's fist hit the metal table and he couldn't help but cry out in pain.

"Imbecile!" he yelled at Trowa, holding his already-turning-purple fist gingerly in his other hand. "What did you do that for?"

"So you wouldn't ruin a perfectly good computer."

"It wasn't working!" Wufei screeched.

Quatre leaned over Trowa and wordlessly flipped a switch on the laptop. The screen flickered to life, and Wufei's jaw dropped for just a split second.

"It helps, you know," Duo said wryly from where he was typing furiously on his own computer, "to turn the thing on."

"Liar!" the Chinese pilot bellowed. "I did turn it on! Somebody - " he stopped and glared furiously one by one at the other pilots. Finally he jabbed a finger accusingly in Duo's direction. "You, Maxwell! You put a virus on my computer!"

Ignoring him completely, Duo called to Trowa and Quatre, "Hey, guys, I've got the database up."

"FBI?" Trowa said, mildly surprised.

"Yup."

"What do you need that for?" Quatre asked. He had barely arrived at Trowa's house, where they had met to do some research. Obviously, Wufei was not having a very good day, but Trowa and Duo had been working hard to find out what they could about Charles Maclemury the Third.

"Preventers didn't have enough," Trowa replied shortly, watching Duo.

"How'd you get in?" Quatre asked, glancing at Wufei, who was ignoring them steadfastly as he worked on his own laptop.

"Learned from the king of code busting," Duo said with a half-grin as he scanned a page of hardware commands. "He gave me a couple of bypass options I didn't know about."

"Supposedly they have the highest levels of security in the world," Quatre said, grinning.

"No, the Gundam database does," Wufei said shortly.

"Decided to join the conversation?" Trowa asked mildly.

"Oooh," Duo suddenly breathed. "Check this out. Our man has a record!"

Wufei whirled around. "You're kidding!"

"The Senate wouldn't believe this - look, here, this window - aggravated assault, resisting arrest, attempted robbery...holy cow, the guy almost spent six months doing time!"

"Why didn't he?"

"Let me guess," Trowa said. "Charges were dropped."

"Yup."

"Which means..."

Wufei snorted. "Money. Bribery. What else?"

Trowa shook his head. "What happened to honor? What is wrong with people these days?"

Pressing the 'print' command on his laptop, Duo gave Quatre a wry grin. "This coming from the guy who swings a hundred feet in the air for a living."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

**17:44 PM**

Heero and Relena reached L1 early that evening. Right after they docked, Relena spoke with the bay manager and then went to find Heero.

He was in the antiseptic, bland little kitchen, a dufflebag on the table. Relena watched from the doorway as he deftly pulled out a gun, loaded it, and slid it into the waist of his jeans. Another went into an inner pocket of his jacket, and as he shrugged it on, he grabbed more ammo and shoved that into a pocket, too.

"It's just a precaution, Relena," he said suddenly. Relena started, surprised that he had seen her behind him. She walked forward to join him at the table, and in response, she reached into the dufflebag and pulled out a gun of her own. Feeling his eyes on her face, she also loaded the gun and then tucked it into the inner pocket of her denim jacket, testing the weight to make sure it wasn't too heavy or obvious. Finally, when she was finished, she turned to face him.

"No, it isn't, Heero. It's a necessity."

"What would your stuffed-up politicians say if they heard that Relena Peacecraft had had a shootout?"

"I honestly couldn't care less," she replied, then added, "though I think they just might disapprove."

**18:52 PM**

Because he really had no idea where to begin, Heero decided to spend the rest of their first day of searching just getting used to the Colony.

Somehow, L1 seemed to be the closest thing to a true home he had, except, of course, the one he shared with Relena and his daughter. The Colony was the quietest of all the five, the most peaceful, the most caring, it seemed like. It held terrible things for him, too - the abandoned warehouse where he and the other four pilots had been trained was located somewhere on the Colony. But that was part of the reason for L1's attraction - it also stood, to Heero, as a sign that he was overcoming the thing that had haunted him all his life: his past.

And as he walked down one of the busy main streets with Relena holding his hand, he felt more at ease than he had felt since Amy had been kidnapped. The street was familiar; more than once had he sat at that Starbucks on the corner and glared at the world - he could even see the chair that he liked to sit at, back in the corner.

The weather monitors on L1 had decided to attempt a copy of Earth's weather for the day; to Relena's special delight, snow was falling softly on the inhabitants of the Colony.

"Do they have any idea where she might be?" Relena asked.

"They're working on it as we speak," Heero replied. "I'll spend what time we have today just getting used to the layout again, Re. We can't start a full-scale search until we have more information."

She nodded and was quiet for a moment. Heero sensed that she was upset, but he knew it wasn't directed at him; Relena had always been one to want to take action immediately, and this waiting around for a day was the exact opposite of what she wanted to do.

"Hungry?" he asked, and she nodded. Picking up the pace a bit, Heero looked around until they found a small old-Italian restaurant on the corner of two streets. Relena loved old-Italian, and as he watched her eyes light up when he pointed it out to her, he couldn't help but pride himself on his choice. "Is that all right?"

"Have you eaten here before?" she asked. "Is the food good?"

"I - no, I haven't."

Relena turned, sensing there was more.

Heero didn't really want to say it, but the words tumbled out. "It made me - think too much of you, back then."

She didn't speak; she didn't have to. The gaze she fixed on him was filled with more than enough understanding and love to fill a million words. Her grip on his hand tightened for just a brief moment as they entered the restaurant together.

There were tables outside, and after ordering Relena led him outside to a small table set for two, partly hidden behind the ornate fencing of the eating area. They sat down and as they waited for their food, she asked, "What exactly are they researching, do you know?"

Heero said, "Duo mentioned finding out more about Maclemury, and Wufei was intent on scouring a map of L1 for every possible place they could've hidden Amy."

"That's absurd."

"I know. He wasn't in a very good mood when I spoke to him. More than likely Quatre will give him another job. Quatre himself is going to call some acquaintances on L1 and see if he can find any connections. I'm not sure what Trowa - "

He was interrupted by a waitress bringing their food. The girl laid down their dishes, smiled pleasantly at them both, and asked, "Is there anything else I can get you?"

"We're fine, thanks," Relena said, smiling, and the girl left.

"She didn't recognize you," Heero remarked.

"No," Relena agreed. "Thank goodness. The whole public thing has settled down a lot now that the Senate has more control. I'm not the only political focus anymore."

"A good thing," Heero nodded. "I hated being mobbed whenever we went out."

She smiled, but asked, "Trowa was going to...?"

Not the least surprised at the change of subject again, Heero took another bite and swallowed. "Lots of little things, I think. Check recent adoption records, the usual routine stuff like that."

"Adoption records?" She had a speck of spaghetti sauce on her face, and, smiling, Heero tossed her a napkin.

"In some kidnappings, the crime is out of a desire for a child of the criminal's own. Or, otherwise, it's just a mode of revenge. They'll contact a friend in a foster or adoption agency and set up the papers. The thing is completely legal-looking, and it fools a lot of cop investigations."

"That seems...odd," Relena said, looking at her spaghetti thoughtfully.

Heero grinned. "Criminals are not usually considered normal, you know."

She made a face at him and continued eating.

"Oh – Duo mentioned something to me before we left," he said, "and I forgot to tell you."

Her head snapped up, but upon meeting his gaze, the hope slid out of her eyes. "Nothing big?" she asked, already knowing the answer.

"Not – not really," Heero replied softly, "but perhaps a clue."

Relena waited for a moment, then when he didn't speak she asked curtly, "You planning on sharing?"

He glanced at her, at her plate, and then said sweetly, "If you let me have a bite."

Relena raised an eyebrow, obliged, and then watched as he nodded approvingly. "That's good stuff," he mumbled around a mouthful of meatballs. "Duo had just been going through the recent newspapers on L1, and he discovered that all the major headlines are about this – this gang. I think that's the term he used."

"Gang?"

"Yeah. Mob, kinda, I guess. They rob, hijack, vandalize…the usual stuff."

"Sounds like teenagers," she remarked, giving him a look.

"None of 'em have been caught for years, Re. That's why it's been in the paper so much."

She made another face at him, earning a half-hearted attempt at a Death Glare back. "Why haven't I heard of it?"

Heero grinned. "Because no one wants to bother the Queen of the World – "

"The title's gone, Heero."

" – with such trivial and petty matters."

"A criminal gang? Whatever."

"You know I'm right. They save all the big stuff for you and leave the supposedly little things for the police forces and Preventers."

She didn't reply for a while, and they ate together in silence. There were children scampering up and down the street on their way home for the evening, laughing and throwing snowballs at each other. She was reminded of Amy, and for a moment it was hard to breathe.

"So," she said, catching her breath and desperate for the silence to disappear, "what does this gang have to do with – "

"Relena Peacecraft, right?"

Relena turned at the unfamiliar voice.

There was a man standing at their table, his face half in shadow by the evening twilight. The voice had been deep, and somehow aged, as if it had been a voice used for many, many years. Heero was watching him, seemingly warmly, but Relena sensed the wariness under his half-smile.

"Yes, that's me," Relena said cautiously. The man was wearing a heavy winter coat, long pants, and boots, and the only thing she could see for sure on his face was a dark beard and unruly dark hair. "And – and my husband, Heero Yuy."

It was just something she did out of habit; whenever she met someone for the first time and Heero was with her, she introduced him, too. And normally people treated it the usual way; they would introduce themselves to Heero, and business would commence. But this man, this stranger that had appeared seemingly out of nowhere, twisted around so sharply to look at Heero that Relena was surprised he didn't pull a muscle in his neck. There was a sharp intake of breath, and the man croaked hoarsely, sounding incredulous, "_You – you're Heero_?"

More than a little alarmed, Heero stood and, with a glance at Relena, offered his hand. The man didn't move, and slowly Relena slipped her hand inside her jacket…just in case.

"Yes, I am," Heero said warily, watching the man intently. He had a major disadvantage; the man was almost completely shrouded in shadow.

The stranger stared at Heero for almost a full minute, and then suddenly he said in a low murmur, "Your daughter is on the roof of the office building on the corner of 19th and Main."

Relena froze, her heart nearly stopping its beat. Heero immediately tensed and opened his mouth to reply, but suddenly the man whirled and took off at a sprint, dashing through the eating area at an amazingly quick pace. Heero turned sharply and took off to follow, but immediately stopped when Relena said sharply, "Don't!"

He turned to look at her; Relena was standing a few inches away from their table.

Staring at him, she whispered, "Was he telling the truth?"  
Heero's voice was hoarse. "I – I don't…I don't know, Re. Probably not. I mean, he could've just made it up for publicity, or – or it could be a trap of some sort, I don't _know_ – "

"But he acted so _strangely_," Relena whispered, almost pleadingly; the tears were starting to threaten again. "He – couldn't we – "

"Check it out?" he asked softly.

Both immediately knew the answer.

**19:39 PM**

"Zechs, Carter is screaming and I'm feeding Caleb, could you _please_ go get him?"

Lucrezia's harried voice sharply entered Zechs's study, where he was bent over a stack of paperwork dealing with the investigations of the kidnapping of Amy Yuy. Distractedly, he called back, "Where's Ashlyn?"

"_Zechs_!"

"All right, all right," he grumbled, getting to his feet and hurrying up the stairs to help. Once inside the twins' room, he picked up Carter and began to bounce him slightly. "Hey, buddy," he said, smiling at his little boy, "what's wrong, huh?"

"Play! Play wif Amy and Sam and Callie and Kylie and – "

"I know, Carter, I know, I just – we can't today, buddy."

"Why?" the little boy screwed up his face and gave his dad his best puppy-dog face.

"Because your mom and dad have to work, Carter, and everyone else is working too."

"Work on what?"

Glad to be off the topic of visiting with friends, Zechs hoisted the little boy onto his back and headed out of the room and down the stairs, explaining, "We're just helping Aunt Relena and Uncle Heero on a job they have to do with Amy."

"_There_ you are," Lucrezia said from the kitchen doorway, holding out her arms to her son. "Are you hungry, Carter?"

He nodded and was set in his highchair next to his brother. Caleb gave his twin a baleful look and turned back to his bowl of cereal and cup of applesauce.

"A gourmet meal, huh, Caleb?" Zechs asked, grinning, as he gave Carter his share.

Lucrezia gave him a sharp glance. "At least I didn't stay in my study all day and went out and fixed my children meals."

Zechs made a face at her and pulled out a box of cereal for himself. He had just set out the bowl and milk when there was a sudden beeping from the room next to the kitchen.

Zechs was fully expecting to here from Duo or the other pilots still on Earth; they had made frequent vidcam calls all day to discuss information and alert each other to news and possible ideas. He was mentally running through what he had found since his last transmission with the pilots, when suddenly Heero's face flashed onto the screen.

"Wha – Heero?" Zechs said, startled.

The pilot on the screen looked way too anxious and worried for his normal character. Since he had married Relena, the change in Heero's demeanor had been nothing short of phenomenal; the monotonous, violent, cold manner was almost completely gone. Usually Heero was simply serious and quiet, but with a quick grin and easygoing manner. Zechs hadn't seen Heero this tense for a long time.

"Zechs, I – I don't know really what I'm doing," he said uncertainly. Heero told him briefly about what had happened at the restaurant earlier in the day, and when he had finished, Zechs sat back in his chair and blew out his breath sharply.

"What do you plan on doing?" he said flatly.

"We – I don't know," Heero said honestly, shrugging. He seemed oddly helpless. "Relena – she wants to go, Zechs, we only stopped back here to get some things – "

Relena suddenly passed through the view of the vidcam, busy loading a gun as she strode past.

"Relena?" Zechs called, but all he got was a muffled greeting. The blond man turned, a little miffed, to his brother-in-law.

"It might be a trap, Zechs," Heero explained, clearly not sure what to do. "I could be leading her into – into…I don't know, something _bad_. But – "

"What if," Zechs murmured, and Heero, startled, nodded.

"Yeah," he replied. "She's not willing to, uh – to take chances."

Zechs regarded Heero seriously, trying to read the emotions behind Heero's deep blue eyes. "What do you think?" he finally asked.

"I don't _know_," Heero repeated. "If Amy's there, then we have to go get her."

"If she's not?"

Heero looked steadily at the floor for a moment, and then slowly raised his head to regard Zechs seriously. "I wanted you to know where we were going."

Zechs understood. The brothers-in-law were more alike then they would ever let on. He nodded shortly, then said, "All right. Where is it?"

"Corner of 19th and Main. Like I said, we're not – "

"Heero." Zechs voice was very quiet. "Just let me send in a ship, it'll take less than an hour – "

"No." That was Relena, standing next to Heero, her face grim. "I can't waste the time."

She waited until Zechs nodded, then went to get her coat. Slowly, Zechs turned to Heero.

"You're my brother-in-law," he said heavily, "but if anything – "

"Don't." Heero cut him off. "You know I'll protect her with my life."

Zechs nodded once more, and Heero terminated the connection. Staring up at the black screen, Zechs didn't even realize he had whispered, "I know."

**20:12 PM**

The streets, which had been busy and full just an hour ago, were now almost completely deserted. The Colony was dark, and the only light came from the streetlamps on the corners. As always when he was in a vulnerable or shadowy position, Heero's senses heightened and he was edgy as they walked down the street.

Relena sensed his anxiety and glanced up at him. In the dark, walking down a silent street, where something could be hiding around the next corner, Heero seemed to transform. His muscles were tense and his face was grim and alert. There were no smiles, no light in his dark blue eyes; he was completely silent, even as he walked, and altogether seemed to Relena to be on a level far higher than she was.

They strode quickly down 19th Avenue until they entered the biggest part of the city and were soon overshadowed completely by gigantic office buildings. The occasional car that drove past went quickly and without slowing down; the headlights glanced off their faces and cast eerie shadows on the wall behind them. Relena had never heard a Colony be so deathly silent.

Heero had dressed in his Preventers uniform to gain them access to the office building they were to enter. Without halting his space, Heero pulled open the front door and walked straight up to the lobbyist. She glanced up at him and said automatically, "We're closing in fifteen minutes, sir."

Pulling out his Preventers badge, Heero showed it to her quickly and said, "We have something to check out on the roof. Just an observation, it won't take very long."

The lobbyist glanced at the badge uneasily. "All – all right," she said, hesitantly. "I'm supposed to let you, I think, but – "

She stopped. The couple was already gone, heading straight towards the elevator.

**20:28 PM**

Duo paced nervously back and forth across the floor of Quatre's vidcam room, his braid swinging back and forth as a symbol of his anxiety.

"You can sit down," Trowa said mildly, "I'm sure it wouldn't hurt."

Making a face at him, Duo replied shortly, "I can't."

Quatre gave Duo a kind glance and said gently, "They won't be back for an hour at least, Duo."

"You don't – "

"Sit down, Maxwell, you're giving me a headache," Wufei said curtly.

"Good," Duo retorted, and continued pacing.

Wufei growled under his breath, "Yuy better hurry, or I'm going to chop this idiot's braid off."

Duo halted his pacing to stick his tongue out at the other pilot, and then promptly resumed his route.

**20:36 PM**

The elevator ride seemed to take forever. Relena watched the little arrow above the doorway sliding steadily across the numbers as terrible elevator music resounded throughout the room. As the numbers climbed higher and higher, she felt her heart rise in her throat. With every second, she could be getting closer and closer to her daughter.

It stopped at the fortieth floor, as far as the elevator would go. With a soft ding, the doors slid open, revealing a dimly lit corridor with doors on either side.

Silently Heero stepped forward, and, feeling more than a little nervous, Relena followed. He strode quickly down the hall until they found the stairs, and as they neared the door that led out onto the roof, he slowly pulled his gun out of the waist of his jeans and switched the safety off.

Feeling her heart pounding, Relena followed suit, and together they opened the door.

It was completely dark and silent. No sounds could be heard whatsoever; the eerie quiet sent little fingers of ice up and down Relena's back. Heero moved immediately to the nearest corner, and his pace changed; his movements now were almost catlike, calculating each step and moving swiftly and silently.

"Should we – should we split up?" Relena whispered, daring to speak.

Heero shook his head immediately. They started at one corner of the roof and made their way to the opposite corner. The roof was large and completely flat, but stacked with crates and boxes and other equipment all over. They weaved their way in and out, searching in every possible place they could see.

"Heero," Relena whispered at one point, when they had been searching for almost a half hour. "Can we – should we – "

She didn't have to finish; he nodded, and right away, Relena lifted her voice much louder and called, "Amy!"

They glanced at each other and then set off again, now both calling their daughter's name.

"Amy!"

"Amy, honey, tell Mommy where you are!"

It went on for what seemed like an eternity; back and forth, apprehension and hope rising as time went by. After more than an hour of searching, they both came to a stop in the middle of the roof.

"Anything?" Relena whispered.

He shook his head, grief entering his dark blue gaze. "I don't think – "

Relena's left hand suddenly shot out and gripped his arm; her fingers were tighter than a vice. She had cocked her head to one side, the light wind teasing her hair, her eyes closed.

"What – "

"_Shh_!" she hushed him. Heero closed his mouth and listened.

And there, so faint he had to strain to hear it at all, came a tiny voice being carried by the wind.

"_Daddy!_"

Without thinking he sprinted to where the voice was coming from, clear on the other side of the roof. Relena was running too; he caught occasional glimpses of her winding throughout the equipment, her face as white as the snow that had fallen earlier that day. Heero felt his heart hammering with apprehension and worry; through his mind ran all the things that could be wrong with his daughter – if, in fact, they weren't imagining this after all –

He reached the edge of the roof just seconds before Relena did. They were in an open square, with nothing nearby to hide a little girl. "Oh, jeez," Relena whispered, her throat constricting. "Where are you, Amy, honey, where are you?"

"Here, Mom – " came the weak little voice.

Heero caught on before Relena did. He sprang to the very edge of the roof and, hoping against hope, looked down.

And there, hugging her knees to her chest, up against the wall of the building, sitting all alone on a three-foot square of concrete seven hundred feet above humanity, was their daughter.

**AN: Ahh…well…review? Maybe? The little blue box is beckoning, calling you…heeheehee…**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

**20:46 PM**

Not far from where Amy Yuy was stranded at the top of an office building, in an old underground military facility that had closed down long ago, a man was waiting outside a door. He wore a hat over his hair, hair that was so dark brown it was almost black, and as he leaned against the wall the arms that he had crossed were thick and muscular. The corridor in which he stood was badly lit and slightly dingy, badly in need of a mop. Dressed in simple, comfortable clothes, the man stood silently until, finally, the door opened and a deep voice said, "Come in."

The man twisted around and entered the room, his steps brisk and confident. With an appraising eye he glanced around at the office; it was stark and unexciting, but clean and filled with the latest equipment. He turned to the other man sitting at the desk and nodded a greeting.

"You're late, Roberts."

"It couldn't be helped," the first man said, taking a seat without invitation. "We had a little problem with a few of the guards."

The man at the desk sighed and sat back in his chair. "What is it now?"

"Nothing new," Roberts said, his voice void of emotion. "They don't agree with what I'm doing."

The other man gave a wry smile. "I presume you brought them around to your way of thinking?"

"Of course. With any luck, the girl will be dead before dawn."

"Good."

"Did you finish anything today, Tavera?"

"Research," said Tavera, the man at the desk. "Had my boys take a look around the Preventers database."

"Find anything of interest?"

"Now, Roberts, don't rush me."

Roberts abruptly stood. "I finished my duty today. Obviously you didn't – as you haven't, might I add, for the past week. If this continues, something will have to be done."

"Now, now," Tavera said, concerned, "you wouldn't want to lose the best man on your team, would you?"

But Roberts was gone, out of the door and down the hall.

At his desk, Tavera let out a low curse and brought his fist down hard upon the wood.

**20:46 PM**

There was a knock at the door of the Maxwell home. Hilde, making sure Nathan was playing happily on the floor with a few toys, called for Callie to watch him as she went to answer it.

It was Sally; she seemed weary and worn out, but her eyes were alert and thoughtful. "Hey, Hilde. Sorry I cam so late," she said tiredly. "I'm just passing along some news from Relena."

"Have they returned already?" Hilde asked, her heart leaping into her throat.

Sally shook her head. "I forgot to tell you this, so it's my fault if we lost a clue because of me. But – Relena told me that they had a politician guy over for dinner a few nights before they left, a guy she didn't like. Charles somebody, I don't – "

"Maclemury," Hilde supplied. "She hates his guts."

"Well," Sally said, acknowledging this with a brief nod, "he came with a girl."

"A girl?"

"Yeah."

"And what's this supposed to do with me?"

"Said her name was Schbeiker."

The air rushed out of Hilde's body so fast she had to steady herself against the doorframe. "_What_?"

"The girl. She said her last name was Schbeiker."

Hilde gave an unsteady little laugh. "That's – that's not funny, Sally. If Duo – "

"I'm not kidding."

The laughter was cut off abruptly. Hilde stared at Sally, and then said in a shaking voice, "If this is a joke – "

"Hilde, Relena asked if I would come over here and ask if you had some sort of relation, somebody we could talk to about this. You know, maybe an aunt, a sister, cousin – "

She stopped. Hilde's eyes were blazing, but with what, Sally couldn't tell.

"I don't." Hilde said, her voice quivering so badly Sally could hardly understand her.

"Don't – don't what?"

"Have a sister."

Sally, more than a little concerned, said comfortingly, "I never said you did, Hilde, I just – "

"_I don't have a sister_!"

The door was slammed shut, leaving a very stunned Sally on the front porch.

**20:46 PM**

"Amy!" Relena cried, just as the little girl yelled, "Daddy!" Heero placed his feet as carefully as he could, then reached down and grasped Amy's wrists in his hands. Praying to whatever God was up there, Heero held her as tightly as he could and pulled with all his might. Within seconds, Amy tumbled over the edge of the roof, and into her mother's arms.

"Oh, Amy," Relena sobbed, the tears streaming unchecked down her cheeks. "Oh, my girl."

Amy was crying so hard she couldn't speak; one arm was around Relena's neck, the other around Heero's. Heero didn't speak, either; his eyes were closed, his arms holding his wife and daughter as close to him as he possibly could.

**21:02 PM**

_Beep, beep, beep_!

There was general chaos as the vidcam went off. Zechs lunged for the 'receive' button only to trip over Duo, who had also made a leap; the two tumbled to the floor and knocked over Wufei. The Chinese pilot's leg kicked Quatre soundly in the shin, bringing him down to the floor, and as Quatre stumbled he reached out for something to grab and ended up finding Trowa's sleeve, bringing every single occupant of the room down on the floor.

As the vidcam continued to beep, there was a mad scramble of arms and legs and curses and punches as the men each tried to stand and hit the button first. Duo, with a cry of triumph, brought his entire fist down upon the button, only to find Wufei's hand already there. The Chinese pilot howled in pain and outrage as the vidcam screen flashed to life.

It was Relena, wrapped in a big coat and looking windswept and exhausted. But she was smiling, the biggest smile they had seen on her face since Amy was kidnapped, and Duo let out a cry of joy.

"You found her!" he said gleefully. "I told them you would!"

Relena nodded, smiling even through the tears that refused to go away. "She was there. We've got her – Heero's talking to her now." She wiped a hand impatiently across her face, then continued, "He's a bit worried because – well, there were no guards there, guys. No resistance, nothing."

"You're kidding." That was Quatre.

She shook her head back and forth slowly. "She's not harmed, she wasn't guarded – she was just on a ledge at the very top of the building."

Trowa nodded gravely. "Is she psychologically okay?"

"I think so," Relena said, smiling again. "It's just so – " she sighed happily. "Words can't describe."

"So you're coming back?" Zechs asked.

She nodded. "As soon as we can. Heero said he'd call you guys later – I think he's had some sort of idea or something, I don't know."

"Joy," Wufei muttered sarcastically, still holding his hand – the second time it had been hurt that day. "Is anyone else finding it unnerving that Yuy's ideas always end up getting us in trouble?"

Duo grinned broadly. "No."

**21:10 PM**

After hanging up with the pilots, Relena headed to the room she and Heero shared on the ship. Amy was laughing as she neared the room, and Relena stopped just outside the door to watch.

Heero was lying on his back in the middle of the floor, his eyes closed and perfectly still. Amy was creeping around him on tiptoe, a hand to her mouth to suppress her giggles. She had just barely gotten to the bed before Heero leaped up with a growl and grabbed her from behind, his fingers tickling her stomach mercilessly. Amy burst into peals of laughter again, screaming as her dad pulled her to the floor. Finally she struggled free, then backed up and held out her hand in the shape of a gun. "Pow!" she cried, aiming at the monster, and Heero, with a yelp of pain, fell flat on his face to the floor again.

At this point, Amy looked up and saw her mother, and with the scheming mind of a four-year-old, motioned for Relena to go around Heero from behind. Grinning and nodded as if it were all a huge secret, Relena began creeping silently towards the prone form on the floor. Barely holding in her giggles, now, Amy tried tiptoeing around the monster towards the bed.

Both mother and daughter were two inches from the bed before the monster suddenly leaped up, and in two swift moves had both Relena and Amy on the floor. Unable to stop laughing, Relena cried, "Get him, Amy, get him!" Squealing with pleasure, the little girl began tickling Heero himself, and then Relena turned on him too. Heero burst out laughing, finally crying out, "Mercy, mercy!"

And the instant they stopped, he grabbed them again.

**31 OCTOBER 293 - FRIDAY**

**17:16 PM**

"He was tall."

Relena couldn't help but glance at her husband in frustration. "Yes, you said that, honey. Can you tell us anything else?"

Amy's face was screwed up in concentration. "Umm..."

Heero leaned forward. "What color was his hair, Amy?"

She pursed her lips severely at her father. "I'm _thinking_, Daddy," she said sternly.

Her father sat back and exchanged looks with Relena. "Amy," Relena began, "we need you to tell us - "

"Black."

They stopped, surprised. "It was black?" Heero asked eagerly.

"Yup," she nodded.

"And - and what'd they do, Amy? Tell Mom again," Relena pressed.

The little girl heaved a sigh. "The man carried me onto the roof and set me really high up," she explained.

"How'd they get you out of bed, Amy?" Heero asked.

She thought for a moment, then said sadly, "I don't remember."

"All right," Heero said, sighing and sitting back against the wall. "You keep playing, honey - Mom and I will go make dinner, okay?"

Amy nodded, already immersed in her world of fairytale princesses and dolls.

Relena and Heero made their way to the kitchen, silent for the time being. As Relena began to pull vegetables out of the refrigerator for a salad and Heero dropped some chicken into a pot of water on the stove, Relena suddenly asked, "Why'd you stop her, Heero? She might've told us more - maybe she was kidding about the not remembering."

Staring down at the chicken, Heero murmured, "She has a bruise at the base of her skull."

Relena spun around. "_What_?"

"It's not serious - just enough to knock a four-year-old out. Whoever kidnapped her hit her first, and then took her to the roof of that building."

"How long do you think she was there?"

Heero was frowning, a sure sign that something was puzzling him. "Not long."

"But they kidnapped her almost a week - "

"I know. But even though she was shivering a little, she wasn't sick from exposure. The temperatures had been low the whole day, Re. She wasn't cold _enough_, if you get my meaning."

"How long would you guess?"

"An hour."

"An hour!" Relena paused, looking up at her husband. "What are you thinking, Heero?"

He glanced sharply at her, then broke into a half-hearted grin. "You know me too well," he murmured. "I think...that it was planned."

"Well, duh."

"No," Heero said, shaking his head. "I mean...the guy. At the restaurant. I think he was sent there, and he knew we'd go to the ship first, and while we did that he - or somebody else - took Amy up to the roof. And - "

"What in the world would that accomplish?" Relena asked, bewildered.

Heero sighed. "That's what I'm trying to figure out."

There was silence in the kitchen for a minute, as Heero continued cooking the chicken and Relena watched. Finally, she inquired softly, "What are you planning?"

He turned sharply, saw the expression in her eyes, and sighed again. "You're not going to like it."

"I don't think I'll have much of a choice."

Heero left the chicken and sat down at the small table, the chair backwards and his arms crossed on the surface of the table. He took a breath and then said firmly, "I think I need to stay."

"What?" Relena cried. "_Why_? We found her! Heero, you _can't_ - "

"I need to know who that man was," Heero said calmly, then added, "Or who he works for. Relena, you remember the conversation we had with him, right?"

"Of course I do, but I don't see - "

"He acted perfectly normal until you introduced me. When he saw me, his whole - his whole countenance changed, Re. And then - "

"He told us about Amy," she said softly.

Heero nodded without a word.

"I don't understand why I feel so strongly about this, Relena, but I really think I need to stay here and - and figure out who was behind this."

Heero watched her for a long time. Relena was back to steadily chopping vegetables, but her hands were moving methodically and her mind was clearly on something else. After several minutes, she set the finished salad aside and said softly, "All right."

"What?" Heero asked, stunned.

"I'm not saying I like it, but I understand why you think you need to stay."

He nodded.

"Do you," she began, and her voice broke slightly. Relena shook her head and then restarted firmly, "Do you know how long you'll be here?"

Heero shook his head no. "Hopefully not too long," he said quietly.

"All right," Relena said, standing. "We'll leave tomorrow morning, okay? And - and you call the other pilots tonight, tell them what's going on, and they can help you from Earth."

Silently Heero stood, and slowly gave her a hug. "I'm sorry, Relena," he whispered. "I don't want to do this any more than you do."

"Yes, you do," she said, a little sadly. "This is just what you do. You're still a soldier, even with no war to fight."

He bent his head, gave her a kiss, and then went to finish dinner.

**1 NOVEMBER 293 - SATURDAY **

**06:32 AM**

When morning came, the temperature on L1 was still much colder than usual. The weather monitors were clearly trying to get a good impression going of Earth's winter, but it was a bit aggravating to Heero. As he helped Relena prepare for their flight back to Earth, he was constantly followed by Amy's questions - which he welcomed heartily - as inquisitive as she was, Amy was also bright and registered everything he told her. But the thought of what he was doing was always there at the back of his mind, haunting him terribly, and the cold did not help.

Early the next morning, Relena and Amy were ready to leave the Colony. Heero was kneeling near the gangplank, his arms wrapped tightly around Amy. "Now, listen, you," he said with mock severity. "You have to watch your mother, okay? She can be a little crazy sometimes."

Regarding him with her wide blue eyes very gravely, Amy gave a slow, solemn nod. "Thank you for saving me, Daddy," she said innocently.

His throat catching, Heero gave her another tight hug and said hoarsely, "I'll always be here to save you, Amy." He tickled her briefly before grinning and sending her away.

Then he rose to face Relena. She was calm, regal, as she always seemed to be, but Heero knew her heart. He gave her a hug, a long kiss, and then stepped back slightly.

"I'll call you every opportunity I get," he said seriously. Relena laughed at that.

"I'll be lucky if I hear from you once a week," she retorted, trying to smile.

Heero whispered softly, "I don't know how long I'll be gone, Re, but I will finish as soon as I can, okay?"

This time, Relena managed a grin, and shoved him. "Oh, get going, jerk. Sooner you leave, the sooner you can come back."

Grinning at her, Heero shouldered his bag and turned to leave. The gangplank lowered automatically. Upon reaching the docking bay, he turned around to give Relena a final wave.

She had her hands on her hips, and when he glanced back her face turned indignant.

"Don't you dare leave this ship without telling me you love me, Heero Yuy!"

Heero stopped, a broad grin spreading across his face. "Relena, when we were married, I told you that I loved you, and if that ever changes, I'll let you know."

And as the gangplank began to close, Relena yelled in exasperation, "Heero!"

Laughing outright now, Heero walked backwards with his face to her, his arms outstretched. Giving her a slight bow, just as the gangplank closed, he called, "I love you, Relena," and then had to grin again.

**3 NOVEMBER 293 - MONDAY**

**18:23 PM**

"I don't approve of this."

Trowa's quiet voice startled everyone else into silence. They were all at Zechs's house for dinner. The only one missing from their usual group was Heero, who had just finished talking with them over the vidcam an hour and a half ago.

Zechs glanced up. "He's fine," he assured the pilot. "You heard him."

"What's done is done," Quatre said gently, eager to ease the tension. "Heero's there, and he won't come back until he's found out what he wants to find out."

"Or if something bad happens down here," Sally murmured.

Duo, at the other end of the table, looked up very suddenly, and Wufei said sharply, "Don't get any ideas, Maxwell."

Hilde elbowed her husband, and he sat back.

"Heero can handle himself just fine," Rebecca said confidently. "There is no reason to worry."

"There is every reason to worry," Trowa said, looking surprisingly irritated for Trowa.

Dorothy glanced up. "I can see what he means." Zechs made a face.

"By all means, do enlighten us," he said, almost sarcastically.

She raised an eyebrow and tossed her blond hair in her diplomatic manner. Quatre had to give a little half-grin at his wife. She was certainly quite a character.

"The events surrounding Amy's kidnapping – and rescue – are both mysterious and dangerous," Dorothy said. "Heero's diving into information that may very well be dangerous for all of us, and it's not like he hasn't been caught before – "

"Once."

The quiet voice came from down on the very end of the table, where Relena was sitting next to Amy. She had been so silent that they had almost forgotten she was there. Dorothy immediately blushed.

"What do you mean, once?" Wufei asked bluntly.

Relena was watching Amy, who was steadily eating her way through a large helping of pumpkin pie. "He was caught," Relena continued softly, "once. When I was the bait, five years ago. He has never been caught otherwise."

"But if," Zechs replied, "you - or Amy - were the bait again. He could be caught again."

"I have no intention of leaving Earth," Relena said bluntly.

"You wouldn't have to." That was Quatre, his face uncharacteristically grim. "If he heard word, somehow, that you in trouble, I don't think he'd stop – "

"Yes, he would," Duo cut in. "He's way too smart for that. He'd check with us first."

"If somebody _interfered_ with the communication lines, and Heero couldn't reach us – "

And within five seconds, everyone except for Relena and the children were in a yelling fit, fighting across the table, arguing back and forth about what Heero would or wouldn't do. It went on, for what seemed like almost forever to Relena, until she could stand it no more. The things they were speaking of – they were the things she had feared the most since leaving him at that Colony. Suddenly, she realized she couldn't take any more, and abruptly, she stood.

Silence fell instantly; her movement was so quick and abrupt that the chair toppled over, hitting the floor with a crash. Amy looked up at her mother worriedly. Relena's fists were clenched, her breath coming slightly ragged. "I think we should be going now."

Immediately, the group realized what they had done. Zechs's look of irritation disappeared to an expression of deep concern, and Hilde said, "Oh, Re, we didn't mean –"

Relena shook her head, cutting her off. "It's nothing," she said, her face devoid of emotion. "We should just leave early. I need to pick up a few things at the store, anyway."

The wives exchanged glances at that comment, but said nothing.

Duo stood, too, looking worried. "You sure you don't want me to drive you home, Re?"

She shook her head, urging Amy out of her chair. "No, that's all right. I'm fine, really. We should – we should just…just get home[sk1] ."

**19:42 PM**

****

All in all, it had been a rather uneventful day. After calling the pilots on the vidcam, talking to Relena for a while, he had gone outside of the small hotel he was staying in and headed straight for the restaurant where he and Relena had first seen the mysterious man.

The cold had driven many people back inside their homes for the day; for some reason, the temperature on the Colony had plummeted severely. Heero, bundled up in the heaviest coat he owned, wrapped his hands around his cup of Italian cocoa and relished the warmth emanating from the mug. It was the third of November, and in a month it would be Christmastime.

Sitting back, still studying the few people around him closely, Heero sank into his memories – recent ones, of course. Last Christmas, Amy had been three, and she was in the stage where she possessed an immense and uncontrollable desire to destroy every last thing she was in reach of around the house. Relena had been forced to move the presents from under the tree to on a shelf behind it instead, and the bottom two feet of their Christmas tree had been completely devoid of any and all ornaments.

It had been a wonderful day, though. Heero loved Christmas – a realization he had discovered only in the past few years – and it always made him think of his and Relena's first. That had easily been one of the best days of his life, their first Christmas together; sitting around the tree early in the morning, married not quite five months, tossing presents back and forth and laughing, so full of life and love.

_Woman with bright pink scarf,_ Heero noted mentally, his eyes following her as she strode down the street. _Teenager on a bike, black hat._

After presents in the morning, everyone had come over and spent the day preparing for the dinner that evening. The babies – everyone had had one, except for them at that time – had been laid down next to each other on the floor of the living room, and the adults had spent the day sitting around the fire, taking shifts in the kitchen. That had been the day Relena had announced she was four months pregnant – news to everyone, including Heero. Duo had said that he rarely laughed as hard as he had laughed that day, watching the look on Heero's face as he realized he was going to become a daddy.

_Old man, bifocals and cane_.

And then, only five months later, on April 18th, Amy had been born. Only his wedding day was a candidate in comparison against the anxiety he felt that day in the hospital. He remembered vividly the millions of steps he had used pacing the waiting room as they prepped Relena for labor, and then the near-stopping of his heart as the nurse urged him into the room. Heero rubbed his thumb against the palm of his right hand subconsciously; the hand Relena had squeezed during labor, the hand that hurt so badly immediately afterward that he nearly dropped his new baby girl when the nurse handed her to him.

_Two teenage girls, three boys with backpacks._

But oh, the feeling that slammed into his heart when he held Amy for the very first time; Heero was overwhelmed with emotions he never knew existed. One sensation he did remember was an overpowering sense of incredulity; imagine, the thought of he, Heero Yuy – the Perfect Soldier, the weapon of war, the machine, the unfeeling, cold, antisocial killer – was holding his own sweet little daughter. He had gone from staring at her perfect, tiny face to slowly sliding his gaze to Relena, exhausted and sweaty on the hospital bed, but her eyes alight with so much happiness that Heero fell in love with her all over again.

_Woman – no, a man – wait, a woman…? Black clothes…spikes…well, I won't be forgetting that one soon._

That had easily been the best day of his life. Nothing had come even close in comparison since then, and certainly not before then. Shuddering, Heero turned away from thoughts of his first twenty years and focused on the task at hand.

_There, that's an easy one: that's an…interesting shade of blue on a person's hair_.

For a brief second, an image flashed through his mind of Duo, grinning, elbowing him as they walked down the main street near Zech's mansion, as a bunch of vividly-dyed adults strode past. The braided pilot had cracked jokes about that for days afterwards, much to Heero's supposed annoyance but secret amusement.

Heero grinned involuntarily. _Ah, Duo_. If there was anyone that mattered to him as much as Relena and Amy did, it was Duo. Most of his life as a Gundam pilot, Heero had regarded Duo as the biggest annoyance and pest known to mankind. The incessantly cheerful pilot would in no way leave him alone, creating a world of problems for Heero. He knew no one else that attracted trouble like Duo did.

_Young couple, two little girls, scarves and gloves._

But he also knew no one else that could cheer him up like Duo – excepting his family, naturally. Through every hard time in Heero's life, Duo had been there to either cheer him up or yell at him until Heero grudgingly began to see Duo's point of view on the situation. Five years ago, when Heero had been reunited with Relena for the first time in seven years, it had been Duo who had began to crumble the walls surrounding Heero's heart.

Realizing that he was being very uncharacteristically sentimental, Heero grinned a little at himself and shifted positions to better see the street.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

**4 NOVEMBER 293 - TUESDAY**

**16:03 PM**

****

"Mrs. Peacecraft, if you would just sign these forms – "

Relena paused her almost frantic pace and turned to glance quickly at the secretary following her. "Alena, I'm sorry, I just got out of a meeting and I _have_ to get home, my daughter's – "

"But," protested the little woman in the horn-rimmed glasses, "they're straight from the Secretary of the Senate's office, he told me to give them directly – "

"Miss Relena?"

She turned abruptly at the new voice to her left. Another secretary was poking her head out of the door of the vidcam room. "Sorry to interrupt, Miss Relena, but you have a call on screen four from Senator Wilshaw."

Relena halted, startled. "Wilshaw?"

The secretary nodded, and Alena's frenzied look intensified.

"Oh, all right," Relena snapped, much more curtly that unusual, and took the papers from her personal secretary. She shouldered her purse and entered the vidcam room.

"Good afternoon, Relena," said the older man gently. Wilshaw was seated in what looked like his personal office, wearing casual clothes and looking at her kindly.

She smiled at him, a little weakly. "What a pleasant surprise, Senator. Can I help you with something?"

Wilshaw looked startled, then chuckled a little. "Good gracious, no, my dear. I just – well, to tell you the truth, I called to see if I could help _you_." He regarded her a moment, then added, "You did very well in the meeting today, considering."

"Considering?" Relena asked tersely, before she could stop herself. "Oh, I'm sorry," she immediately hastened to correct herself. "I'm so sorry, Senator, I'm just a little -"

"I understand," he said kindheartedly. "And please, call me Brad, I'm not used to being addressed so formally by people I consider to be more than fellow Senators."

She couldn't help it; Relena had to smile. The older man was so _nice_ – it was just what she needed. What with all the pilots going crazy helping Heero with reconnaissance and the wives busy with their children and jobs, she had had very few opportunities to talk with people in the past three days since Heero had been gone. _Three days, and he still hasn't found anything…_

"Thank you, Brad," she said, smiling at him. "I appreciate that."

He returned the smile. "It was in truth. Now, I was calling to see if you and Amy might consider having dinner with an old man like me? If you have anything prepared," he added hastily, "I will certainly not be offended – "

"Brad," she said, "I've been in meetings since five thirty this morning." She gave him a wry smile. "I've had no time to breathe, much less fix dinner for my daughter."

A broad grin spread across his face. "Then by all means, my dear, be over here as soon as you can. Is five thirty all right?"

Relena sighed, grateful almost beyond words. "Thank you so much. We'll be there."

**17:29 PM**

****

"Why do I have to wear this, Mom?"

Relena glanced down at Amy, who was fingering the skirt of one of her best dresses curiously. Feeling self-conscious, Relena straightened her own skirt for the umpteenth time and said, "Because we're having dinner with a very important man tonight."

"Who?" she asked, as they strode up the long walk to the front door.

"A man Mommy works with, honey," Relena said.

"Are we in trouble?" Amy asked, gazing up at her mother. Relena, gazing down at her, was suddenly struck by how much this little girl reminded her of Heero. Right now, Prussian blue eyes identical to his were gazing at her with the same curious desire to find out everything they could.

Relena smiled, relaxing a little. Amy seemed so calm, and admittedly she didn't know much about what was going on, but she still understood that they were going to meet someone important and therefore was prepared to conduct herself accordingly. _We did well with her, Heero_, Relena thought silently. "No, honey, we're – I'm not in trouble," she assured her daughter. "I just didn't have time to make dinner tonight and Mr. Wilshaw invited us over to eat with him."

"That was nice," Amy remarked.

Grinning now, Relena stepped up to the front door and rang the doorbell, feeling her anxiety evaporate.

The door opened almost immediately and the butler gave them a deep nod.

Amy stepped forward immediately and extended her hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Wilshaw," she greeted him.

Relena froze, and the butler, startled, was speechless for just a second, before he recovered quickly and said laughingly, "Oh no, little miss, I'm only the butler."

Amy considered this for a second, then hesitantly reached back and took her mother's hand. "Is he the butler?" she whispered. Relena glanced up at the man in question, who was grinning broadly at them and hearing every word. She flashed him a smile, and then replied in the same whisper, "I don't know, he's rather well-dressed for a butler."

"What can I say, I like to keep my staff up to par with the latest fashions."

Relena turned to the hallway just before them, where Brad Wilshaw was striding towards the door, a warm smile on his face. "Good evening, sir," Relena said.

He boomed, "A pleasure, my dear, to have you here," and halted in front of Amy.

Now sure that this was the man her mother had spoken about, the little girl promptly stepped forward and offered her hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Wilshaw."

Repressing a grin, Brad took her hand and very seriously shook it. "And it's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Amy."

Delighted, Amy whirled around to her mother and whispered, "Mom, he called me 'miss!'"

Laughing now, Brad said, "That I did, my dear. And now might I escort you to the dining room?"

Glancing at her mother for approval, Amy nodded and in a very dignified manner accepted the elderly man's elbow – which she had to stretch to reach – and together they led the way into the dining room, closely followed by Relena and the butler.

**18:18 PM**

****

"…though I must admit, the idea of another dome on Mars is not entirely unacceptable."

Nodding her agreement, Relena responded as she swallowed another bite of spaghetti, "While it very well could create more problems with rebellions and working unions on the planet, it would open up many more opportunities in the industry."

It was an hour into dinner. Amy was hardly talking, but that was because she was eating as much food as she could get – if there was one thing she had inherited from her father, besides her physical features, it was an absolutely insatiable appetite.

As the little girl moved her spaghetti plate over slightly, finally done with her very large helping, Brad Wilshaw smiled at her. "I assume you enjoyed that, Miss Amy?"

She nodded energetically. "It was even better than Dad's!"

Relena laughed. "Well, he's not much with spaghetti, that's for sure."

Brad smiled. "Is Mr. Yuy a good cook otherwise?"

"Heero, please – you can call him Heero. I'm sure he would ask you the same." Relena paused, then added, "Actually, he's a very good cook. Just…"

"Not with spaghetti," Amy finished for her.

"I'm sure he has many talents," Brad said amiably, motioning for their plates to be taken away. "Being a good cook is certainly not necessary for getting through life."

"Yes," Relena replied. "He's much more talented than I am, that's for sure."

"And how," Brad asked, "is his work going on – on L1, I believe it was?"

Relena nodded. "Well, it's…going, I guess."

He glanced at her sympathetically. "No luck yet?"

Surprised, she looked at him questioningly.

"Oh – I'm sorry," Brad said. "I asked your secretary – I assumed, rightly, I think, that you were busy this morning – if she thought your husband needed any help with whatever he was doing, and she said something about him never needing any help rooting out criminals." He added hastily, "My sincere apologies if I was out of place."

A silent second passed before Relena said quietly, "No – not at all." She took a breath, then continued, "Mr. Wilshaw – Brad – I appreciate this so much. You have no idea how much it means to me to have someone – " she stopped, embarrassed.

Amy had stopped forking her way through a slice of pie, paying close attention.

When Brad spoke next, his voice was gentle. "It's hard, isn't it? To have him gone?"

Not trusting her voice, Relena merely nodded.

"He's never…been on a business trip before?"

Taking a deep breath, she steadied herself and replied, "Yes, but not – not for an indefinite length of time, and never…" she trailed off.

"…with a purpose such as this," he ended for her.

She nodded again.

"Relena, I'm an old man," Brad said slowly. "I have no remaining family and when I die there will be no one who will remember that I did any great works in my life."

Immediately Relena opened her mouth to protest, but he waved a hand at her and continued, "My career is the only thing I have left, and soon I won't even have that. Then, all that will be left is friends – which, sadly, are extraordinarily hard to make in this business. Politics is a cunning way to go in life," he murmured. "And you can't make friends without worrying you'll get a knife in the back just when things look up.

"So," he said, drawing another deep breath, "as a result, I don't have many close friends. I've been in politics a long, long time, and the only man that has ever been as good to me as a true friend was your father, Relena. He would stand up for me when everyone else was totally opposed to my vote. When – " Brad had to stop talking for a brief moment as his voice betrayed him once more. Amy was listening, wide-eyed, now. "When Lydia died, I – I didn't think I could make it. And your – " he swallowed, then went on heavily, "your father was the only man to help me. I can never repay that debt…but I am trying." He drew a breath, then continued on in a determined tone, "With your husband gone, Relena, I know you'll feel more vulnerable down here. I want you to know that I am here to provide for anything you – and Miss Amy – will need. Anything at all; please, don't hesitate to ask me."

There was silence in the dining room for a long while, as Relena stared at the Senator. Tears were filling her eyes, tears of the deepest form of gratitude.

Suddenly there was a loud scraping noise as Amy pushed her chair back away from the table and jumped down, circling around the table quickly before coming up right in front of the Senator. Without a moment's hesitation, she threw her arms around the older man.

Relena would have been appalled had that not been the very thing she wanted to do at the moment. So, following her daughter's lead, she too crossed the room to give the old man one of the most grateful hugs she had ever given in her life.

**22:58 PM**

The bathroom lights gleamed harshly against her skin as Relena sat on the counter, splashing her face with the coldest water she could get. Her heart was beating rapidly, and slowly, she was coming to the realization of what had just happened.

Unbelievable. Just now, when her world was changing around her, when life was pulling a 180-degree flip-flop, this had to happen. _Unbelievable_.

What would the other pilots and their wives think? For heaven's sake, what would _Heero_ think? What would he do? Would he be compelled to return to Earth? Would he give his latest 'mission' up – the mission that could change everything around again for them – just for her?

She had been thinking about this whole possibility for a long time; the nausea and headaches and exhaustion had been much worse than usual lately. But that didn't do anything to quench the violent siege of worries and nervousness attacking her…

Oh, she was happy – ecstatic. Of course; that was to be expected. But…she didn't think she was ready for this. Not now, not when so much was happening, so many things were taking place behind her back. And Relena, sitting alone on the bathroom countertop, feeling more alone than she had felt in a long while, suddenly had an overwhelming assault of anxiety attack her, and she had a very bad feeling that a lot of terrible things were going to happen because of that single pink line.

**6 NOVEMBER 293 - THURSDAY**

**06:03 AM**

This was turning out to be most depressing.

_Five days, and nothing_.

Admittedly, he was being very impatient. After all, he had expected to search for Amy for weeks at the very least, and they had found her in less than a day. He couldn't let himself get used to that; he had to keep his patience.

Sighing, Heero stretched his legs and yawned. The early morning light was just beginning to spread over the Colony, and he had only woken up about a half hour ago

The days had passed uneventfully; though Heero had pulled all his training to the front of his mind, and sunken into the world of the soldier, he had not found a single clue. He had taken precautions, now that he was in a possible danger zone here on L1. His hair was no longer brown; it was blond, a dark kind of brassy shade tinged slightly with red. Heero's eyes, thanks to colored contacts, were a deep brown, instead of his usual vibrant blue, and his skin was tanned more so than usually. His hair was cut differently, his clothes were new and not his regular style, and when he spoke to anyone, he used a foreign accent. Overall, it was a completely convincing disguise.

At the minute he was sitting there, in the same seat in the shadows at the old-Italian restaurant, where he could see the street clearly. Over the past five days the servers here had caught on to the fact that he was claiming that booth, and now, the waitresses smiled and waved at him as they went on inside to open up.

The minutes passed, turning steadily into hours, as the light in the Colony brightened and soon the street was packed. It was harder at this time of day to listen in on people's conversations, and Heero stood and left the restaurant. For the rest of the day he wandered the Colony, taking occasional taxis, never straying too far from home base. At seven o'clock, when the light was beginning to fade, he walked the remaining block and a half back to the restaurant. He took a seat near the front and sat back to wait, feeling more than a little disappointed that he had found nothing that day.

However, it turned out to be a lucky move. Just seconds after he sat down, he heard a deep voice behind him say quietly, "…an older man, seemed like, and he stayed in the shadows. Told me 'bout a gang of some sort, offered an interview…"

Heero slowly shifted his position, acting very leisurely, until he could see the person sitting behind him clearly in the reflection given by the windows of the restaurant.

It was a man, probably in his late twenties, with red hair and a pale complexion. He was evidently tall – the slightly untamed hair was brushing the bottom of the umbrella that was set up on his table – and his shoulders were broad, his arms muscular.

"…what? Oh, he asked about experience, skills, typical things like that – gave me a time for an interview and directions. When I said I was interested, he slipped back in the shadows and ran off. Couldn't catch him, he was way too fast. In any case," the man concluded, "I'm heading there right now."

Heero couldn't see the person across from the speaker, but it was definitely a female by her voice. "I'm not sure, Brian, it could be another phony." She sounded soft and a little timid.

"Look, Samira, it's not like I'm a normal civilian, okay? I've had training, I know what I'm doing. I can take care of myself." The man – Brian – stood abruptly, tossed the woman some money, and said curtly, "I'm leaving. See you for dinner, maybe."

And then he strode quickly out of the area.

Heero quickly set a few bills down on the table, grabbed his jacket, and set off after the speaker – looking calm and unhurried as he did so. He strode after the man, always keeping sight of the auburn hair, always seeming completely at ease.

He followed the redhead for two blocks on that street, and then the man took an abrupt turn to the right. Heero was quickly moved in; unfortunately for him, it was an alleyway, very narrow and empty. However, he went straight for the right side, which was shrouded in shadows, and kept on with the chase.

The man headed on for a while, but then his walk began to slow. After a few moments, he came to a complete stop. They were far from any busy streets now, meandering their way through a group of old apartment complexes.

Heero waited patiently while the man studied his surroundings. He was somewhat startled when the redhead called loudly, "Look, I know there's someone following me. You should know right now that my bank account is floundering and in its last stages of life, I don't have a job or any family up here so you couldn't ransom me anyway, the only person that even likes me is my wife, though I don't know how long that'll hold up, and – oh yeah, another little fact: I trained for eight years in martial arts."

Heero couldn't help it; he smiled to himself. The man was grinning, and the cheerfulness and easygoing tone in his voice was contagious; he reminded Heero strongly of Duo. Grinning, Heero stepped out of the shadows and into full view.

"Care to take on an opponent?"

The man turned quickly, his feet moving instinctively into fighting stance, and Heero noted this with approval. When he saw Heero, he gave him a quick grin and said, "Well, I am a bit late for a job interview, you know, but everyone likes to have a little fun. I'm sure the bosses will enjoy a guy who takes pleasure in a bit of adventure. Wouldn't you agree?"

Before Heero could reply, the man leaped forward. Immediately, without thinking, Heero dodged the blow easily and twisted his body around so as to strike a punch to the man's lower back. Just two seconds before the punch landed, the man swiveled around on his right foot and dodged the hit.

And on it went; back and forth, back and forth, across the little alley: throwing punches, dodging punches, landing an occasional hit, and all the while evaluating the opponent. Heero was enjoying it immensely; the man was good, yes, but he hadn't had fifteen years of the training Heero had suffered through – training that refused to be forgotten. After a while, the other man began breathing heavily, and not for show or jest; sweat was running down his forehead, and his movements were beginning to slow. Heero, grinning, finally pulled in all his skills, and within three seconds had the man flat on the ground, immobilized.

The redhead was breathing heavily, and as Heero grinned at him, panted, "I take it…you've…had…a little training…too."

"Fifteen years," Heero said affably, offering his hand.

"I guess I should say something bigger than six next time, huh?" he grinned, and then shook Heero's hand. "Brian Hackett."

He returned the grin, nodded, and said, "Jackson Hunter. Pleasure to meet you."

"Might I ask why you were following me?" Brian said, his eyes twinkling.

"To be honest, I overheard a conversation you had at the old-Italian restaurant on 3rd Street. Something about a job interview…and it sounded like my kinda thing."

"Ah," said Brian, with understanding. "You're an unemployed too, huh?"

"Unfortunately."

"Well, I can't promise much, but you're welcome to come along. I'm sure they wouldn't mind another guy. The fellow that found me said they were launching a recruitin' mission to get as many men as they could." Brian's voice dropped, he leaned in closer to Heero, and then said, "I think they're planning something big. In any case, I want to be part of it, and the starting pay he mentioned is excellent."

Heero smiled. "Sounds…perfect."

**13:28 PM**

"Samuel! Oh geez, honey, get off the top of the swing set, please. You'll fall and break your neck!"

Quatre glanced out of the window of the Yuy's kitchen to see his son sitting leisurely at the very top of the swing set, and a very pregnant Dorothy begging for him to come down.

"Duo," he said calmly, "I believe your daughter has convinced my son to scare his mother out of her wits yet again."

Duo, who was sitting at the kitchen table, shrugged carelessly. "No harm done, Q-man."

"Last time," Trowa said quietly, stabbing a piece of steak with his fork, "he broke his leg."

"Not my fault!" Duo protested easily, lifting his double-cheeseburger.

Relena entered the kitchen, closely followed by Sally.

"…told her about the whole last-name thing," Sally was saying, sounding unusually subdued, "and she absolutely threw a fit."

"What do you mean?" Relena asked, concerned.

"As in she yelled that she didn't have a sister, slammed the door in my face, and didn't come out when I rang the bell again."

Relena was stunned. "Wow."

"Yeah. Duo," Sally asked, turning to him, "did Hilde ever mention having a sister?"

Duo glanced up, surprised at the question. "'Course not, no. Why?"

"Have you met her family?"

"Yeah," he said, nodding, looking a bit concerned now. "What's going on?"

Relena gave Sally an uneasy glance before saying reluctantly, "We didn't tell you before, because we weren't sure if it meant something. But that night, a week ago, when Heero and I had Maclemury over for dinner, he brought a lady with him."

"Who was she?" Duo asked, still not seeing how this concerned him.

"She said her name was Katja Schbeiker."

"What!"

Sally nodded. "We thought it was a coincidence, so I took my time in telling Hilde…but when I did, she – well, took it the wrong way, I think."

"She acted very oddly," Relena added. "You've…never heard of her having any siblings?"

Duo scratched his head. "She…has an older brother, but he died in the wars. Her parents are in Germany, we talk to them a lot on the vidcam…but no. No sister."

"You're positive?"

"Yeah," replied Duo easily, then paused. "Well…"

"What?" Trowa asked, in on the conversation now.

Duo shook his head. "It's nothing."

"_What_?" Relena and Sally asked together, frustrated with this whole business.

The Deathscythe pilot held up his hands in surrender. "Sorry, sorry. It's just that…Hilde just doesn't talk about her past much, ya know? Me neither, I s'pose, but she just gets a little touchy when I ask her about growing up, and all that."

Relena was silent for a minute, before she ventured, "I think we should ask her."

Sally, relieved that someone else had voiced that uncomfortable thought, nodded. "If she does have a sister, this could change this whole situation around."

"For the worse," Duo muttered, looking very unusually serious.

**19:37 PM**

"I'm not sure, but I think we should probably be quiet while we're doing this."

Heero's head snapped up; he hadn't missed the tone of caution in Brian's voice. "What do you mean?"

They were standing in front of an old sewer gate, in the oldest part of the Colony. Heero was surprised; scientists had long since discovered alternate ways to get rid of sewage and waste, and to see any remaining underground sewage systems was rare. This gate, however, was locked, and the only way through would be with a very nice lockpick. Though Heero had excelled in that particular area of training, he didn't have a pick on him.

"…sure about this."

He realized Brian had answered his question, and tried to act as though he had been paying attention. "Yeah, all right," he said vaguely.

"Besides," Brian added to whatever it was he had been saying, "they said their hideout was very well hidden."

"In the sewer?" Heero asked. It was incredibly predictable…so much, in fact, that he hadn't thought of it.

"I'm not sure," the other man answered, inspecting the lock. "Though no one checks these old tunnels anymore…"

"…but they provide entrances and exits to every part of the Colony," Heero finished.

Brian looked up, surprised. "Yeah, something like that."

"What'd they say to do, once you got here?"

Impatience crossed the redhead's freckled face. "Wait. Something I'm terrible at."

This man was reminding him strongly of Duo. It was, quite frankly, unnerving.

Heero had no time to ponder it further, however, because at that instant he sensed someone behind him, and immediately twisted around and ducked out of the way.

A knife came slamming into the ground where his right foot had been just seconds before, and a millisecond after that another hit the ground where his left had been situated. Heero leapt further out of the way and pulled his own gun out swiftly, aiming it directly at another man standing in the shadows under the sewer gate.

"Step out and show me your hands," Heero commanded.

There was what seemed to be a stunned silence - from the unknown man and Brian, too - until another voice came out of the darkness. It was almost laughing.

"Well, well," it came, ringing through the alleyway and, strangely, hurting Heero's ears and pricking at his memory. "We seemed to have attacked the wrong man."

"You bet you did," Heero shot back, unfazed. "Now show me your hands."

The cynical, laughing voice came back, commanding this time. "Go on, Midas."

Reluctantly, the figure that had thrown both knives at Heero's feet slid out from under the gateway, his hands rising slowly above his head. He was tall, slight of build but wiry and toned, with dark, neatly-cut blond hair and pale skin. Regarding Heero coldly with unfriendly brown eyes, he stood still.

Brian was looking a little lost. "Uh…Jackson? Mr. Hunter?"

It took Heero a moment to remember his alias. Before he could reply, though, the cynical voice called, "Mr. Hunter, is it? Well, it is a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Hunter. Quite a pleasure indeed." There was a pause, and then a light thud on the ground to Brian's right. Nervously, the redhead stepped closer to Heero, who hadn't moved an inch. Slowly, another man came into the dim light.

This one was of much shorter, stockier build, less muscular than the one called Midas but, for some reason, he was much more intimidating. Perhaps it was the way that he held his chin high, his broad shoulders back, and one eyebrow slightly raised, giving him an aloof air, or perhaps it was just the fact that his eyes, so dark they seemed to be black, burned with startling intensity.

Heero wasn't sure what to make of this newcomer, but he certainly wasn't lowering his gun. This man stepped forward - Brian moving as close to Heero as he could - and finally stopped a little in front of the other man, Midas. There was a moment of tense silence, till he said, "Forgive us for being cautious. We were under the impression that one man was to come here tonight, not two. We're the kind that take no prisoners, if you get my meaning."

_Mercenaries. Assassins. This man is running a mob._

"However," he was saying, "I am quite impressed with your skills. Obviously you have been well trained and…would do much for my…organization."

Heero resisted the urge to snort in disbelief at the term.

Brian contributed, "_I_ was under the impression that there was to be some sort of job interview here tonight."

"Quite, quite," the man affirmed, nodding. "Though now, if you don't mind, with two interviewees."

Brian turned to Heero, who gave one curt nod.

"Brilliant!" the man exclaimed, and for the first time a smile spread across his angular features. It wasn't an unpleasant smile, merely an…unsettling one. "Very well, then, I'll need your names. You, sir," he said calmly, nodding to the redhead standing behind Heero, "are Brian Hackett. And the man next to you?"

"Jackson Hunter," Heero offered coolly.

"Hailing from?"

Heero raised a cold eyebrow. "Wherever I feel like."

Another smile spread across the man's face. "I like you, Mr. Jackson Hunter," he declared, turning slightly to the man called Midas, behind him. He tilted his head to the side and gave a quick nod as his smile grew even wider. "You can call me Tavera."

The sewer gate was opened in a matter of three seconds; Heero and Brian were blindfolded - a slightly upsetting sensation for Heero, but his other senses immediately heightened to make do with the loss of his eyesight - and led through a maze of tunnels. As they walked, being led by two men that had appeared seemingly out of nowhere, Brian gave way to a string of nervous questions and speculations. After a while it became apparent to Heero that the redhead was not waiting - or pausing - for answers, and so Heero set himself to making a map of in his head of the tunnels through which they were being led.

A little less than a half hour later their guides made a sudden quick turn to the left, and immediately Heero sensed a difference in the surrounding atmosphere. They were no longer in the tunnels; they had entered a room - small, by what he could sense of it, and somehow foreboding.

Their two guides left them, and then came Tavera's calm voice ordering Midas to leave. The man obliged, and then the blindfolds were removed.

"Have a seat, gentlemen."

Heero and Brian obeyed, sitting in two comfortable office chairs as Heero quickly took stock of the room. They were in a rectangular office or study, with a sturdy desk just in front of them, complete with a laptop computer, normal telephone and a vidcam screen just behind. The rest of the walls were taken by bookshelves. The titles ranged from aeronautics to how-to books on plumbing; Heero had the odd impression that they were, for some reason, just for show, and none of them had been opened, much less read.

"Welcome to this office," Tavera was saying. He was leaning against the desk, looking relaxed and leisurely. The man was handsome, strong, and looked as if he knew what he was doing. "I would like to say that it's mine, but I can't. This office belongs to my partner, who should be here any second."

"Partner in what?" Heero asked stolidly.

Tavera had no time to reply, for the door suddenly opened and yet another man came striding quickly into the room. Brian straightened; this newcomer gave the impression of a strict and stern army general. Tavera glanced at him once and nodded a quick greeting. But Heero, for some reason, felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up upon first sight of this man and goosebumps rise on both arms. He was immediately suspicious.

This man was much taller than his partner; he easily broke six feet, and was definitely all muscle. His hair was neatly cropped and dark brown, and his eyes were almost the exact same color. His features were ruggedly handsome at best; they were straight and defined and, altogether, this man made Heero feel as if he was someone _not_ to be messed with.

Without speaking, he walked past Tavera, Brian, and Heero, and sat down in his chair. He then sat backwards, folding his arms and regarding Tavera with no cheerfulness in his expression whatsoever.

"He _can_ speak, I promise," Tavera said wryly, glancing at his partner. "Mr. Hunter, Mr. Hackett, this is my partner."

Brian leaned forward, hand outstretched. There was no movement from the man behind the desk. He was silent, almost brooding.

"I…I'm Brian Hackett," the redhead offered. "I was told to come here about a…"

"Job opportunity," the man said curtly, and just as when he had entered the room, at the sound of the harsh, grating voice, Heero felt his whole body tense involuntarily. This strange, cold person appeared not to have seen Heero yet, so he offered, "I'm Jackson Hunter."

The man's head turned sharply to gaze intensely, at Heero, and Heero had to hold back a shudder. An emotion flashed through the dark brown eyes, but so quickly Heero had no chance in recognizing it.

"Roberts," the man said curtly.

Tavera was watching this exchange curiously, having noticed something evidently strange going on. When it was obvious that all Heero and Roberts were going to do was have a staring contest, Tavera cleared his throat loudly and said, "We're glad to have you here, and you should feel honored to be allowed inside our headquarters." His voice was business-like and it sounded as if the words were rehearsed. "You were selected, because we happened to observe you on the streets and found that you fit our requirements for induction into our organization."

"Organization?" Heero said wryly. A fancy word for mob, gang.

Roberts leaned forward and said, in his hard, dry voice, "Tavera and I are the leaders of a crime organization. We've been in the business for years. Out of all those years, two of our members have been caught out of a total of nine hundred and forty-four inductees."

"And you interviewed all nine hundred and forty four?" Brian said, attempting humor.

"We did," Tavera said, offering a smile while Roberts didn't break his grim expression. "It wasn't exactly enjoyable, as you can presume. However, it has paid off in the end; we know each member of the organization personally and therefore have much better control over our squadrons."

"Squadrons?"

"It's how we organize the group," Tavera explained, after a brief silence in which Roberts made no move to answer the question. A strong dislike for the cold man was slowly gathering in Heero's heart. "In groups of eight. There's one hundred and eighteen squadrons all together, each with a commander, second-in-command, and medic."

"You sound like it's a military operation," Heero remarked. He was keeping his voice dry, but his mind was almost frantically trying to piece this all together. This crime gang had just under one thousand men in on its operations, and on this Colony alone…

Tavera shrugged. "It keeps it simple. You're here because we're offering you a job opportunity."

"I was told an excellent number for the starting pay."

Tavera gave Brian small nod. "One thing we are not short on is money."

"What _are_ you short on?" Heero asked, speaking calmly.

"Several things," Roberts said suddenly, startling Heero, "that will not be admitted to you until you have been sworn into the organization."

"And what does that require?" Brian asked, a hint of a playful smile spreading across his freckled face. "Cutting our palms and adding our blood to a vial containing the drops of other members? Dancing around a blazing bonfire while singing an ancient voodoo induction tune? Going out under a full moon to bury a werewolf's tooth and intoning a prophecy of old? Or do we - "

"Actually," Roberts cut in curtly, "you sign a contract."

Tavera was grinning at Brian's humor, and Heero was suppressing a smile, but Roberts was regarding Brian as if he were something dirty and disgusting. The dislike was growing steadily into a strong hate.

"What are the hours?" Brian asked.

"Report in every day, whatever time you like. We also have individual squadron meetings once a week at the least to discuss the week's activities. Oh, and you'll always have to be in touch for emergency notices."

"Emergencies?" Heero inquired with a raised eyebrow.

For the first time, a ghost of a dry, humorless smile flitted across Roberts's face. "When business opportunities that had not been previously possible are open for us."

Heero stared at him coldly. "When you kill somebody who was in your way."

To his surprise, Roberts shrugged and said coolly, "Yes, of course."

Brian's forehead was wrinkled, and he seemed to be thinking. "So…murder is involved?"

Tavera answered, "Occasionally, yes. I try to avoid it when possible, but sometimes we are forced to take extreme measures." He paused. "Are you interested?"

Brian thought for a moment, his features grim, then said slowly, "I am."

Heero was, quite frankly, astounded at the easiness with which Brian agreed to commit the most heinous crimes known to man - until, with the barest hint of a shudder, Heero realized that for the first fifteen years of his life, he had done the exact same thing.

Nodding slowly, Tavera then said, "We've already checked you, Hackett. But as for you, Mr. Hunter - could you give us some information about yourself?"

"Why should I?" Heero said bluntly. "You live in a world of crime. I am a possible asset, you are a possible employer. You don't mean to tell me that believe your workers when you first hire them."

The two partners glanced at each other; Roberts's expression was blank, but Tavera seemed to read it easily.

"Roberts, you didn't see him out there. He was amazing - sensed Midas behind him, moved completely out of the way and trained a gun on us in two seconds flat - "

"He is not going to be admitted."

For the first time, Heero caught an emotion in Roberts's voice - it was anger.

Tavera opened his mouth, evidently to protest, but Heero cut in first. He had a feeling that this crime group - that cold man sitting before him - had had something to do with his daughter's kidnapping, and over the years he had come to trust completely in his feelings.

"For more than a decade I trained as a hacker, soldier, pilot, spy, assassin, mechanic, programmer, and thief. There is nothing in the military world that I can't do or fly. I have my whole life behind me as experience, a trail of bodies to list as references, and the only thing that can tie me to an employer is a good solid contract, and an even more solid paycheck."

Tavera turned an expectant glare to Roberts.

The man seemed put out. "I _know_ that," he said sharply, then immediately stopped.

"How?" Brian asked, confused, and Roberts instantly said, "It's evident from your skills. The way you walk, the way you study the room. I - it's obvious," he finished, his cool composure back.

Heero was more suspicious about this turn of events than the question of his admission into the gang. He was too busy turning over that strange remark of Roberts's, so he missed Tavera's plead with the other partner, coupled with Brian's testimonial of the truth of Heero's words. He did hear, however, the words that rang in the office a few minutes later:

"All right. You're in."


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8 **

**6 NOVEMBER 293 - THURSDAY**

**20:34 PM**

"_Roooar!_"

Relena's head jerked up from the stack of paperwork on her office desk in time to see Brad Wilshaw go crawling down the hall on his hands and knees. Just seconds after he disappeared there was a scream of laughter from the living room, and then, in a blur of gold hair and giggles, Amy came dashing past in the opposite direction. Flabbergasted and completely speechless, Relena watched Brad come crawling back after her, waving his hands in the air as he shuffled on his knees, making more roaring sounds. He paused and happened to glance at Relena as he passed and, seeing her stunned expression, gave a sheepish smile, and then resumed his roaring.

It took only a few seconds for the initial shock to wear off, and then, grinning to herself, Relena went back to work. She shouldn't be so surprised - this was, after all, what the house had been like over the past four days. Never would she have guessed how valuable Brad Wilshaw's support would become to her; never would she have guessed how much he had come to seem like Amy's grandfather. He made Amy laugh, took her to and from preschool every day, ate with her when Relena was swamped in paperwork - as she had been for the entire week - and made sure she was happy. The love he expressed for her daughter was evident and sweet, and Relena found her appreciation and affection for the old man tripled by the day.

And he had comforted her, too. Though Relena had withheld her news from everyone, it was a constant shadow of worry over her head, and Brad had not been able to miss it. He knew something was up, and though she would not tell him, he still understood and sympathized enough to leave her alone and provide a solid base for her to lean on. Relena was taking Heero's absence hard. She found herself missing little things he had done to let her know he knew how she was feeling: a brief shoulder-squeeze as he passed her, a quick encouraging smile, a look of sympathy in those blue eyes, a hug at the door as she left for meetings, or a swift kiss.

What made it worse was the fact that she couldn't get in touch with him. They had decided that for the 'mission' purposes, he would contact her. But he hadn't called once over the past six days. Relena wasn't worried - she knew how busy he must be - but she couldn't help wishing he would give her the solace of a two-minute update.

"Relena?" came Brad's voice from the hallway. His head poked into the room a millisecond later, his regal gray hair in slight disarray. "You want me to start dinner?"

Relena took a breath and surveyed the paperwork around her. She had gotten much more done than she thought she would lately, thanks to Brad's help, and was badly in need of a break. It was way past dinnertime, and Brad and Case must have been starving for hours. Glancing at the clock - which read a stern eight-thirty p.m., she made a quick, decisive choice. "No," she said, smiling, "I'll take care of it tonight."

He returned her smile with an understanding grin of his own, told her to call him if she needed any help, and went off to play some more with Amy.

She heaved a little sigh, set some documents aside, and stood up. Walking out of the study and into the kitchen, Relena reveled in the early-evening sunlight streaming in through the kitchen windows.

"We're going to go play Barbies, Mommy!" Amy cried from the doorway, where she was riding piggyback, delight and excitement evident on her face.

Relena gave Brad a sympathetic smile. "Have fun," she said, grinning at him. "If you need help, feel free to scream."

They disappeared upstairs, and Relena turned back to the kitchen.

She turned on the radio and the oven and got out the things for chicken pot pie. The minute she had the vegetables cooking over the stove, there was a sudden _beep, beep, beep_ from the vidcam room. Turning the heat down and giving the mixture a stir, Relena went into the room and pressed the 'receive' button.

It was Duo, looking a little weary but grinning. "How ya doin', Re?" he asked brightly, giving her a wink. "Brad making dinner tonight?"

"No," Relena retorted. "I am, actually."

Duo snorted. "For the first time this week."

"I've been busy. Can I help you, or are you just calling to insult me?"

"What, a buddy can't call just to chat?"

"Not when that buddy has been working for the past week with my husband, whom I haven't heard from in six days."

Duo's grin faltered slightly. "You're not worrying, are you?"

"The worrying comes naturally," Relena said calmly. "I'm not frantic, no - just anxious. I'd like to know for sure that he's safe."

"Aw, he is. No sweating about that. Actually, I was calling to ask if you knew where the stuffiest politician on Earth is at the minute."

"Who?"

"Maclemury."

"What do you need him for?"

Duo grinned. "Been doing some research...well, no surprise, I think my life revolves around research now. We told you about the almost-incarcerated thing, and we were just trying to schedule a little interview with the dude to discuss some details."

Relena snorted. "You want to kidnap him and hold him hostage until he tells you what you want to know."

"Yeah, well, that's what me and Wuffie want to do, but Q-man and the clown are, shall we say, hesitant."

"That's a shocker."

"Shaddup. You know where he is?"

"I saw him at the Senate meeting yesterday, but I didn't stay for the whole thing, so I don't know where he went afterwards."

Duo sighed. "All right, we'll just have to track him down our way then. Hey, don't work too hard, okay, Re?"

"Sure thing, Duo."

"I'm serious."

She grinned. "Uh-huh."

He laughed, and they hung up.

Relena turned, yawning a little, and was just about to walk out the door when the annoying _beep, beep, beep_ came back. Groaning - she loved Duo like a brother, but he had an annoying habit of calling back just after hanging up - she pushed the button again and said as the screen flickered to life, "Didn't I just hang up with you, idiot?"

But it wasn't Duo. "Well," said a deep voice tinged with amusement, "since I haven't talked to you for six days, I don't think so."

"Heero!" Relena cried, unable to register the fact that he was really there, sitting calm and collected in what looked like a dormitory. He was blond and had color contacts in, and tanned skin, but there was no mistaking that smile on his face and expression in his eyes. It was really him. "You are _so_ busted, mister, I have been waiting for a call from you for - "

"I know," Heero cut her off gently. "Six days. It's been long for me too, Re."

She didn't reply for a moment; the realization had suddenly struck her that she would have to tell him the news now. The dread came whooshing into her heart, and there was a sudden desire to postpone the moment as long as possible. "Let me go get Amy. She's been dying to talk to her daddy."

Relena didn't miss the sweet smile that flickered on and off of Heero's face. She went to the stairs and called, "Amy, I've got a surprise for you, sweetie. Come here!"

The thumps and giggles halted, and after a final laugh, Brad appeared, carrying Amy and tickling her furiously. He set the little girl down and Amy gave the older man a mock angry look, which he promptly returned. Worry couldn't keep Relena from laughing, and then she said, "Go into the vidcam room, honey, and see who's there."

Looking thoroughly puzzled, the little girl went slowly into the room. It took only three seconds, and then Amy gave a squeal and cries of "Daddy! Daddy!" could be heard from all the way in the kitchen.

Brad turned to her in surprise and obvious delight. "Your husband's called?"

Relena nodded, smiling again.

"Oh, I'm so glad. I'll finally get to speak with him - if that's all right?"

"I would be honored to introduce you again to my husband."

They walked into the vidcam room together. Amy was sitting cross-legged on the chair, her dark blue eyes sparkling and her face aglow with happiness. She was chattering a thousand words a minute, recounting the games she had played with Brad earlier that day. Relena and Brad watched from the doorway as the two talked together, Heero teasing her and making her laugh with jokes of his own, the delight of speaking to his only child evident on his face. After several minutes, Relena came farther into the room and said, "All right, honey, you go play now, okay? Let Mom talk to Dad for a while."

Disappointed, Amy glanced at her dad. "Daddy..."

Heero grinned. "Sorry, sweets. I have to talk to your mom, okay? But I won't hang up without saying goodbye. Deal?"

Amy nodded reluctantly and slipped from the chair. "Love ya, Dad," she tossed over her shoulder as she skipped out of the room.

It was a routine movement, something she always said, but Relena saw Heero's shoulders sag slightly as Amy left, and a dark cloud hung over his eyes. She knew immediately that something was up, but Brad was waiting in the doorway. Heero had seen Brad Wilshaw before, at Senate dinners and meetings, and they had exchanged the occasional word, but had never really gotten to know each other. Now, Relena motioned for Brad to come into the room, and said, "Heero, this is Brad Wilshaw. You remember him?"

Heero's demeanor instantly switched to alert mode; he straightened and nodded. "You're in the Senate. In charge of the International Trade Act of two years ago?"

Brad beamed. "He certainly has a memory," he said to Relena, then turned to Heero. "Yes, sir."

"He's helped out this whole week, Heero," Relena said quickly, eager to share with Heero all the things Brad had done for her. "He's been over every day - he's cooked, cleaned, played with Amy, ran errands, helped me with my work, taken calls, ran the household help, babysat the other kids when everyone went on dates last night - "

Brad laughed and told Relena to stop. "It's nothing," he assured Heero. "She makes it sound like something big."

Heero was gazing at the man, studying him, but he was smiling, and Relena knew that Heero liked him. "Obviously it is, to my wife, and that means a lot to me." Heero dipped his head in respect. "I thank you from the bottom of my heart."

"Brad's been amazing," Relena nodded. "We owe him a billion dinners over here, Heero - though he probably never wants to see this house again."

"Of course I do!" Brad exclaimed, surprised. "I never had any grandchildren, and Amy is such a sweetie - " he turned to Heero, respect written on his face. "You have raised quite an amazing young woman. I couldn't believe that she can already read, and she hasn't even started kindergarten."

Heero smiled. "Yeah. Well, just a few minutes ago she didn't believe that it was really me, what with the disguise. But she's smart; she figured it out quick. And the reading - " he gave a short laugh. "That was just from Relena and I reading her stories every night. It's more that she has the books memorized than she's reading them."

Brad laughed. "Yes, she did get angry with me when I tried to skip a page last night."

"Were you reading the airplane story?"

"Why, yes," Brad said, surprised.

"Yeah, can't skip anything in that one. It's her favorite."

Relena smiled dryly. "Her father has gotten her obsessed with flight."

"And her mother has gotten her obsessed with arguing," Heero returned promptly. They smiled at each other, and a slow smile spread across Brad's face.

"Well," he said, "I'll leave you two to your conversation. It was wonderful to see you again, Mr. Yuy."

Heero nodded, smiling. "Oh, call me Heero. Thank you so much for helping her this week. It...means a lot to me."

"To us," Relena agreed quietly. "You're a blessing, Brad."

He shrugged it off. "It is my pleasure to help such a wonderful family as yours. I hope your work goes well, Heero."

And with that, he exited the room and closed the door.

Relena took a seat and gazed up at Heero's image on the screen. "What do you think?"

Heero settled back in his own chair, studying her. "He's really helped you this week, hasn't he?"

"I honestly don't think I could've made it without him, Heero."

"We're in his debt, then," Heero agreed, nodding. "How are you holding up?"

Relena sighed, feeling the tension in her shoulder blades, her temples, her body. "I'm up," she offered wearily. "That's enough, right?"

"I'm so sorry," Heero said quietly. "But - "

"I know. You have to do this. I know that, Heero, so don't worry." She leaned back in the chair. "So tell me what you've been doing. Obviously something's happened."

He took a few deep breaths, then quietly told her everything that had happened over the past days, especially the night before. Relena listened silently. When he had finished, her first question was, "Where are you staying?"

"Well, Tavera wanted me closer to headquarters, so I closed my account with the hotel I was staying in, and now I'm in one of the dorms in the tunnels. Just a few tunnels down from Roberts's office, actually," he said dryly.

"Where's the redhead - Brian?"

"He has a house, and a wife."

"Kids?"

"No."

"Does he want them?"

For a moment, a brief grin flickered across Heero's face. "Like you wouldn't believe. I told him that I never wanted a kid in my life and he was absolutely incredulous."

Relena watched him, a soft smile on her face. "You like him, don't you?"

Heero smiled too. "He reminds me of a certain annoying pilot down there, so obviously I can't help but like him."

"That certain annoying pilot just called me a few minutes ago," Relena said. She told him about Duo's call, then about their discussion about Hilde having a sister.

"He said he'd talk to Hilde soon about it," she finished up, shaking her head. "It's making me really worried. Ever since Sally brought it up, anytime any of us mentions Charles Maclemury - or sisters, for that matter, regardless of in what way we're speaking about them - she changes the subject faster than you can think."

"Something's up." He was nodding.

Then Relena stiffened. She had just had a pain in her stomach, bringing to mind the news that had both cheered and haunted her and the fact that she had to tell Heero.

Her husband caught the flicker of pain that darted across her face, and a line of worry creased his forehead. "What's wrong, Re?"

"Oh, Heero..." Relena mumbled, and tears sprang unbidden to her eyes. She shook her head furiously. She did _not_ want to cry, it would only make things worse...

She heard Heero lean forward. "Relena,_ tell me_ what's wrong."

She bent her head, her long hair falling down and hiding her face. It was an age-old habit, something she had done for years and years and years, and Heero knew it as a face of dejection and anxiety and worry.

"Relena!"

Lifting her head slightly, she met his dark blue eyes. A slight smile wavered hesitantly on her face, and she said softly, "Do you want a boy or a girl?"

Heero froze, his jaw dropping. "_W-what?_" he gasped.

"Because personally I think we need a boy this time," Relena went on, very shakily, "b-but I really wouldn't mind if you wanted another girl - "

"You - I - we - I don't - girl - _what_?" Heero managed to get out.

"You want a girl?" Relena said, her voice growing a little stronger in her amusement at his astonishment. "Oh, well - all right then. Mind you, it's not as if I have a choice in the matter - but then again we do need to start thinking of names - "

She had to stop, because Heero had let out a whoop that cut her off. "I don't believe it!" he cried, then glanced around nervously and dropped his voice. "Whoops," he said softly, grinning sheepishly. Relena drew a breath slowly; the delight and joy in his eyes and expression was enough to lift her heart from its dark and dreary hole. Heero was shaking his head, just grinning at her. "When'd you find out?" he asked.

"Six nights ago - Monday night," she explained.

"Go to a doctor yet?"

"On Tuesday."

"You had a Senate meeting- "

"I ditched it."

Heero whistled softly, giving her a slightly puzzled glance.

"I was worried, Heero."

The smile wavered a little. "Why?"

"I'm nervous. To be pregnant at a time like this...with you gone, and the Colonies getting restless, and Amy starting school, and the Senate in a reforming year and - and the people who kidnapped Amy still out there..." she trailed off. In reality, she knew that those were all just excuses. When she had been pregnant with Amy, everything had been five times worse; the Gundam pilots had just been revealed, Zechs's son had died, they were trying to salvage things from the wreckage of their mansion, the newly formed Senate was in an absolute uproar...and things had gone along just fine.

Heero was watching her closely, and in slight shame Relena bowed her head again, letting the golden hair curtain the tears that were getting closer and closer to falling.

"What is it really, Relena?" he said.

The tears nearly spilled over. His voice was full of concern and love and tenderness, and her excuse was so vague and selfish...

"I just..." she started. "I just - have a bad feeling, that's all."

"What do you mean?" Heero inquired, troubled. "What kind of bad feeling?"

"Foreboding," Relena offered, then shook her head. "No - yes - oh, I don't know, Heero. Maybe I'm just so worried about you and Amy that I'm imagining things..."

There was a pause, then Heero said, "I'll come home."

"_No_," Relena immediately returned, as fiercely and forcefully as she could. "Absolutely not. If you come back here before your job is done, I'll drag you right back onto a plane and ship you out of here faster than you could ever believe."

"You would?" Heero asked, teasingly, arching an eyebrow.

She smiled, a wavery little thing that was there and gone in a flash. "As long as you hurry, I'll be fine." She paused, then added, "And call me every night, you hear?"

He nodded.

"Promise?"

Smiling, "I promise, Relena."

She leaned back in her chair, letting out her breath slowly. "All right, then."

Silence for a moment, and then Heero said quietly, "I love you, Re."

Relena gazed a him, suddenly overcome with a wish so strong she had to fight not to put it into words: a wish for him to be home, to be next to her. But one thing Relena did not allow herself to become was selfish, and so all she said was, "I love you too."

But Heero, of course, was not one to be fooled.

****

****

**7 NOVEMBER 293 - FRIDAY**

**09:36 AM**

****

A loud pounding on his dormitory door woke Heero the next morning. He sat up, immediately alert, and reached under his pillow for the pistol he had stashed there last night. He held his hand under the pillow and called, "Who's there?"

"It's your dear old buddy Brian," said a very awake voice from outside the door. "Up earlier than Mr. I've-Been-Trained-for-Everything, which I find surprisingly, actually. I really expected you to be jogging six hundred laps or doing a billion reps with the bench press, but hey, if you want to sleep in - "

"Can it," Heero shot back, a grin forming on his features inadvertently. "So what if I've got a bit of jet lag?"

"Nope," Brian returned brightly. "Not buying that one, sorry. You said you're a pilot, so that one doesn't quite fly." He paused, added after a second, "No pun intended, of course," and then snickered.

"Oh, that was hilarious," Heero grumbled, tumbling out of bed and pulling on jeans and a t-shirt. Working with Brian was like working with Duo; the two shared a bright, cheerful outlook on life and both spouted off the most not-funny jokes.

"Well, since you're obviously not in a very happy mood this morning, I'll just leave my message and be on my merry little way," Brian said, attempting a snooty tone.

"Finally," Heero shot back as he slipped a gun into his waistband, a knife in his boot-sheath, and donned a jacket. Running a hand through the blond hair and putting in his colored contacts, Heero made one final check in the mirror before opening the door. "Now what's the message?"

Brian was leaning against the wall outside his room, his red hair in slight disorder. "Boss wants to see us both," he said, glancing Heero up and down and then grinning.

"What?" Heero asked.

"You're just funny," the redhead replied. "Mr. I've-Been-Trained-for-Everything."

"I'm not sure I like that nickname," Heero retorted, resuming his usual stolid demeanor.

There was a pause as Brian led him down the tunnel, until he suddenly elbowed Heero in the ribs and said, "You know, Tavera likes you a lot, for a recruit."

Heero glanced quickly at him. "What, now you know everything about this 'organization'?" He tried to keep the contempt from his mouth, but it was a struggle.

"I stayed up late talking with a few guys last night," Brian responded, shrugging. "Found out some things."

"Like?"

"Well, Tavera liking you, for instance."

Heero snorted, but Brian pressed on. "And some customs they have here. Did you know they have nicknames for everybody?"

"No, I didn't," Heero said, with mock astonishment.

Brian gave him a scrutinizing glance, as if trying to figure out if Heero was kidding with him or not. Keeping his face blank, Heero kept walking and let him wonder.

"Yeah, they do," the redhead continued. "Like that Midas guy out there - his real name is Tyler somebody, but they said if you call him that you get a knife stuck up your - well, you get the picture."

"What are they calling you?"

Brian blushed, making his overall appearance a very startling shade of tomato. "They started with Carrot Top - "

Heero snickered.

" - but switched to Blaze, because Carrot Top didn't exactly sound professional."

"Oh, I like it."

Another scrutinizing glance, another snicker.

"All right, Jackson, they've got one for you too."

Heero arched an eyebrow warily, but Brian's shoulders sagged. "Actually it's not that bad. They're calling you 'Jacks.'"

"That's it?" Heero said, feeling a vague sense of disappointment that he couldn't have something more…threatening.

"Yup," Brian said, beaming. After a moment, however, his smile faltered, and he muttered, "At least they're not yelling 'Carrot Top' up and down the tunnels at you…"

**09:51 AM**

The 'organization' commander was smiling broadly as the two men walked into the room. Tavera gestured quickly for them to sit, and as they obeyed, he took a seat behind his own desk.

Heero liked this office a lot more than Roberts' - the desk was a bit messier, the seats more worn and comfortable, and there were even a few pictures of Tavera and some smiling friends on his desktop.

"Good morning, both of you," Tavera began. He glanced at the door. "Roberts should be here very soon…"

"This is a familiar scene," Brian said. Their boss grinned. "He's not very punctual," he explained, and then cut off any further remarks when the door opened.

Roberts came striding briskly in. He cast each of them a disgusted glance, then took the chair next to Tavera.

Heero bristled. It was not a good sign when he knew he wasn't going to like someone after barely twenty-four hours.

Brian courageously attempted a grin, then a cheerful, "Good morning, sir."

Roberts was silent, glaring at the redhead. Tavera shot his partner a slightly chastising glance, then said warmly to Brian, "I hear the boys have already given you two nicknames."

Nodding, Brian answered, "I'm Blaze, which I like, and he - " jerking a thumb in Heero's direction " - is Jacks. Which he doesn't like," he added, with another grin.

Tavera gave Heero a sympathetic glance. "Sorry. I'd change it, but once the boys decide on a name, it's stuck. Kind of a tradition here."

"We're here to be briefed on an assignment?"

"Ah, yes," Tavera said hurriedly. "I apologize for making you wait…all right then, let's get down to business." He tapped a button on the open laptop before him, then twisted around to the wall. Heero and Brian watched as an automatic projection shot up on the blank wall. Heero's expert eyes recognized the document as a blueprint.

"Tell me. What does this building look like to you?" Tavera asked, glancing at them.

Brian leaned back, looking slightly bewildered, but Heero immediately responded, "Seems to be some kind of factory, or a warehouse. Something to do with manufacturing, that's for sure."

Roberts gave a derisive snort. Heero looked up sharply.

"Am I incorrect?" he asked, narrowing his eyes.

The man matched Heero's glare. "Why do you ask questions to which you already know the answer?"

Following this retort there was a span of silence in the room, choked with tension so thick you could have sliced it with a knife. Finally, Tavera said hastily, "No - no, Jacks, that's exactly right. It's a factory and storehouse, a kind of mixing plant for sernoplutonium."

The word was too unfamiliar to be comfortable. Heero glanced up and repeated, "Sernoplutonium?"

A short nod from Tavera.

"What the heck is that?" Brian asked.

Remembrance suddenly sprang into Heero's mind once more; he recalled where he had heard the word once or twice before - while talking with Trowa.

"It's an alloy," he said simply, now watching Tavera and Roberts with heightened wariness. "An illegal alloy, unless certain plants are licensed to construct and use it."

"Used for?" Brian said, looking bewildered.

At that, Heero had no reply. He didn't have any idea. He turned to Tavera: "You're taking this alloy? That's the point of the mission?"

"Not too much of the serno, no," Tavera replied, "but there's another alloy there, called austenarium, and that's what we want."

"What's that used in?"

Heero said shortly, "Construction," and then turned back to Tavera. "If the plant specializes in sernoplutonium, why would you go for the less-manufactured substance?"

"Focuses more on the 'narium," said Roberts curtly, shortening the name of the metal.

Heero raised an eyebrow. That certainly didn't seem likely. He would bet they were in it for one thing and one thing only: the sernoplutonium.

"Anyway," Tavera cut in, "the plan goes like this. If you'll look at the biggest rectangle on the blueprints, you'll see a large slash in the wall. Know what that means?"

"Trucking entrance and exit," Heero muttered.

Tavera beamed. Roberts remained impassive.

"Right!" the former said appreciatively. "Now, this right here is the main hallway…"

**18:44 PM**

In a blur of white and Crayola blue, a paper airplane sailed out of the hallway and straight at Duo's head. The pilot glanced up from his work, twisted away just in time, and the plane flew on to land directly in Hilde's dinner of Caesar salad.

"_Duo_," she said warningly, chucking both the plane and a few croutons at him.

These he couldn't duck; one crouton lodged itself in his braid, another in the vidcam buttons near his right hand. Making a similar stern face at her, he picked them out and then called, "All right, girls, no more airplanes!"

Callie's face appeared, her long dark hair falling around her shoulders. "Aww, Dad…"

"'_Aww, Dad_,'" Duo mocked, giving his daughter a roguish grin.

She gave her father a stern look just as Amy Yuy came out of the hallway, too, her blond hair in a neat ponytail and her solemn, Heero-like blue eyes regarding Duo gravely.

"Now, don't you give me that look, young lady," Duo admonished her, pointing his finger at the two. "You're getting way too much like your father for my tastes."

"A good thing," Hilde said from behind them. "Maybe you'll finally calm down enough to tell your daughter to stop chucking paper planes into my plate."

"Sorry, Mom," Callie responded instantly, not sounding the least bit apologetic. "We were aiming for Dad."

"That's all right then," Hilde replied. Duo turned to glare, and she gave him a sweet smile.

Duo rubbed the spot where the plane had cuffed him just slightly, and narrowed his eyes at Amy. "Where did you learn such lethal designs, anyhow? It didn't even hit me all the way, and it still hurt."

The almost-five-year-old gave a calm smile. "Daddy taught me," she said, with a trace of Relena-dignity.

Solemnly, the two girls turned and strode back down the hall.

Hilde was laughing. "Heaven help the men that fancy that girl in a decade or so," she said. "She's going to be as tough as Heero and as smart as Relena."

Duo groaned. "Joy."

"Oh, stop complaining." She threw another crouton at him. "You're such a whiner."

"You married me."

"Don't remind me. I still think you spiked the punch to drug me into accepting."

Duo was grinning, but his mind was obviously on other things. Hilde watched him in silence for a moment, then asked quietly, "What is it?"

He didn't look at her.

"Duo?"

"I'm hurt," he said, finally, clutching his chest right above his heart. "Here, in my heart. I'm hurt, Hilde, and I don't hurt easily." His shoulders heaved, and his face went into his hands.

Rolling her eyes, Hilde merely picked up another crouton and took aim.

"All right!" Duo said, putting up his hands in a defensive position. "Okay, okay…"

"What's _really_ the matter, Duo?" Hilde threatened, still raising the crouton.

Duo was quiet for a long time, and slowly Hilde lowered the weapon. She could sense when he was serious, and now was definitely one of those times. The cobalt blue eyes lifted to meet hers, and a tingling anxiety rang up and down her back.

"Hilde…" Duo began, stopped for a long breath, then continued, "Hilde, if I ask you a question, can you give me an honest answer?"

Her stomach tightened. "About…about what?" she asked.

"Will you be honest with me?"

It took longer than Duo expected - and hoped - for her to answer that. Finally, she whispered, the salad and croutons completely forgotten, "Yes."

Almost a full minute went by before Duo whispered, in a voice that was barely audible, "Do you have a sister?"

Hilde froze, her fork paused midway between her mouth and her plate.

Duo whispered, "Hilde?"

No response.

"Hilde baby?"

Finally, movement: a long, shuddering sigh streamed from her mouth, and her whole body shivered. She glanced up, met his eyes, then immediately looked down again.

In the silence, Duo chanced a whisper.

"Hilde. _Do you have a sister?_"

This time, it was not just croutons she threw at him. The entire plate of salad went up and over, and was soon trailing down a stunned Duo's front.

Without a word, she turned and left the kitchen.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

**AN: Top of the mornin' to y'all! Well, anybody who's actually read this far…I know, I know, it's boring, but plot building always is, wot wot? Anyhow, as always, reviews are wonderful and much much muches appreciated. Ideas, flames, whatever, just so long as I'm on the receiving end of the mail…I'm so lonely! sniff readers back away nervously Teehee…hiccup…sob…Heehee…hiccup**

**Heero: Crap. Here she goes again. What did you do, Duo?**

**Duo: hides machete and bazooka behind back (a trick learned from Heero) Nothing…assumes innocent look **

**Quatre: rolls eyes Okay, everybody, standard procedure: smile, nod, and back away slowly. All ready? Slowly, slowly…**

****

**Luv yas!!**

**Dragonfire707**

**8 NOVEMBER 293 - SATURDAY**

**06:23 AM**

"Back's clear. Position two open, do you copy?"

Heero glanced up and sideways at Brian, who was fumbling with his communication device. The redhead first struggled to undo the knot holding the device to the small pack on his side, then to twist the knob to the 'receive' setting.

"Left," Heero muttered, repressing a grin and making sure all his equipment was well hidden underneath his mechanic's uniform. "Turn it left."

Brian scrabbled with the thing a few more seconds, while the man on the opposite end repeated his message twice, and then Heero finally grabbed the com out of his hands and did it himself.

"Roger, two open. Frontal side moving into position."

A relieved sigh on the end. "Good, Jacks, we thought we'd lost you. Three's in position, we've got the roof covered." There was a pause, and a muffled "uh-oh" was heard.

"What's wrong?" Heero asked. He was speaking to a man nicknamed Spitfire, who was in squadron two and whom Heero had met at the briefing.

"Laser's having some technical difficulties…"

"Security?" Heero asked, glancing at Brian. The redhead was adjusting his uniform, and re-Velcroing the nametag to the patch on his chest.

"Uh, yeah."

"Put him on."

Brian glanced up. "What, you're a security buff too?" he hissed.

Heero ignored him, and instead waited for the "Laser here." Once it came, he said, "What's the problem?"

"Uh…more wires than I expected."

"Model?"

"It's an Archway 600."

"Version?"

"Umm…seven-three."

"There are six wires then, not the usual four."

Now Laser seemed astounded. "Wha - yeah, yeah, that's right. Pairings, instead of - "

"Clip the second blue from the right, attach the decoy module, then connect the third red and first blue."

"Who the heck - "

"Got it?"

The man responded in the affirmative, and as the last directions were made from squadron to squadron, Heero put the com device away and made sure his ID badge was secure.

Brian was staring at him, open-mouthed. "What?" Heero asked, shouldering his bag.

"You're a freaking one-man army, that's what," Brian returned, picking up his own bag of 'tools' and starting off to the rendezvous point where they would meet the loading truck. "Now would you please tell me what we do once we drive the truck up to the warehouse doors?"

"Squadron two is going to give us the security bypass we need. Got your badge?"

"Yessiree bob."

"That's our clearance. The UVP code at the bottom is what they'll check."

"Was a loading scheduled for today?"

"No, but we've got the papers."

"And squadron three?"

"Security alarms; they're monitoring all video and audio."

Brian sighed. "Seems simple."

"The best plans always are," Heero returned. They had reached the truck; climbing inside, Heero shut the driver-side door and revved the engine.

"Wouldn't you rather have just stormed the place?"

"And alert the authorities?"

"Point taken."

The truck came around the corner to the loading entrance, where four guard looked up. Keeping his face expressionless as he exited the truck, Heero grabbed his clipboard, turned the baseball cap on his head at an angle over his face, and approached the men with Brian trailing behind.

Of the four men, two were in the second squadron. Spitfire, Laser and the rest of their half of squadron two were in the middle of disabling certain security checkpoints, while these two men had been posted to ensure that squadron one - the delivery boys - would get inside the plant. One of the men was nicknamed Tank; a fitting name, since the man was six foot five and nearly three hundred pounds of solid muscle. But the other man gazed at Heero with cold, hollow brown eyes from underneath a dark mat of blond hair: Midas, who had first attacked Heero with knives outside headquarters. Over the past forty-eight hours, Heero had come to the realization that, for whatever reason, this Midas fellow hated everyone else in the gang, and especially Heero. Apparently Heero was the only person who had ever managed to dodge the man's knives.

Heero regarded him coolly. If the guy wanted to hate him, he couldn't care less.

"Morning, gentlemen," Brian greeted all four men with his broad, toothy grin. "Looks like a beautiful day today, don't it?"

The two regular checkpoint men and Tank nodded amiably, while Midas remained stoic and silent. Heero was reminded uncomfortably of his old self.

One of the regulars said hesitantly, a little apologetic, "I'm not aware of a delivery scheduled for today…"

"That's why we're here," Tank said smoothly. "The boss just handed out the copies of this transaction. Here - " He handed the man a folder of documents. "They're delivering and then taking a little to the plant in Sector 3."

"But usually we're alerted to changes…" the man said, but he and his partner were already scanning the documents. The speaker was nodding, but the other man was looking at Heero with a hint of suspicion in his eyes, and Heero felt a vague uneasiness stir in the back of his head. "They're cleared, though," the other guard said suddenly, "with the stamp, signature, and everything." He glanced up at Brian and Heero. "Badges, please?"

Heero calmly found his, while Brian fumbled a little in his many pockets before pulling out the badge. The guard held up a UVP scanner and deftly ran the laser light over the badges. With two beeps and individual smiles from the guards, they were in.

As one of the guards switched open the door to the warehouse, Heero felt a swelling of what could border on excitement - more the exhilaration of participating in an undercover, risky mission. He got back into the truck with Brian, and they drove into the warehouse.

As the metal crates of sernoplutonium and austenarium came into view, Heero couldn't help but give a derisive snort. Tavera and Roberts had assured him that they were only in it for the austenarium, but the inventory list they were required to ship out of the building comprised mostly of the serno. Heero wasn't an idiot, and he knew that the two leaders weren't either. They were testing the waters, testing _him_, to see how much he caught on, how quickly he learned, how skilled he truly was.

Heero couldn't help but grin humorlessly. They had no idea what they had gotten themselves into.

He and Brian packed the serno onto the truck. As he worked, Heero's thoughts were racing; the 'organization' obviously had some serious interest in the sernoplutonium. He was desperately trying to recall his and Trowa's conversation about the uses of the alloy when he heard rushed footsteps behind them.

He turned to see Tank and Midas hurrying towards them, along with the rest of squadron two. Tank got to them first; he hissed, "We've got a problem."

Perfectly calm, Heero raised an eyebrow, hefted another crate of alloy onto the truck, and said, "And that would be?"

"We overlooked - or had no way of finding - another entry clearance check," answered Spitfire, looking slightly worried. "My boys and I disabled all video and audio, so you're working in absolute security blackness at the minute, but we found a hidden feed that is programmed to restore the system every hour or so."

"So destroy it," Heero said simply.

"We can't."

He glanced up.

"It's entirely untraceable. In five seconds the guards are going to come running in here wanting to see something they've termed a backup card - something with another UVP code, I think."

"I don't have anything else," Brian said.

"Of course we don't." Heero glanced back at Spitfire. "Get your men out of the warehouse, and pull squadron three back too. We'll take care of this."

"They'll be armed," said a thug from the second squadron. "Heavily."

Heero raised an eyebrow and didn't say anything.

The members of squadron two - excluding Midas - glanced uneasily at each other, and then Spitfire said, "All right, let's get out of here. Slipshot, get squadron three over radio and tell them to get back. Come on, guys."

He turned to head out of the warehouse, his squadron following - but Midas remained, glaring at Heero. Spitfire turned back.

"Midas - hey, Midas! What are you doing?"

"I think you're being stupid," Midas replied in an icy tone. "We're leaving the entire mission in the hands of two idiots who haven't been with us for a week yet. I thought a mercenary's number one rule was never to trust."

A few of the men looked hesitant now. Heero rolled his eyes. "Oh, please. Don't be stupid. We're getting the same paycheck, aren't we?"

Midas raised a dark brown eyebrow. "I don't know. Are we working for the same employer?"

There were sudden footsteps from a hallway outside the main warehouse shed, where they were all standing. Heero closed the truck's door with a bang and hissed, "Stop being an idiot and get out of here before they catch all of you with us."

"Why?" Midas retorted frostily. "So you can alert the authorities on us? Release the names of our leaders - and ourselves - to the presses and police? Earn a fortune from your employer? I don't think so, Jackson Hunter. I think you'll realize that you're dealing with a very smart organization here."

Angrily, Heero growled, "_Get out _before they catch you!"

He was too late. Eight guards came jogging through a doorway near the group, and upon seeing six more men than planned, drew their weapons right away.

"Alert the security system," one yelled into his radio, "we have intruders!"

"Order is to exterminate," added another guard, and right away eight machine guns were raised to shoulder level.

Everyone near Heero was frozen - except him, of course. Moving like lightning, he barreled into the men next to him, bringing them down as shots erupted over their heads. Each one was knocked down, and Heero yelled, "Behind the truck!" They scampered on their hands and knees behind the vehicle under a hail of bullets. Heero heard the last man in line let out a cry of anguish and twisted around just in time to see a puddle of blood form beneath the man's knee. Quickly, Heero lifted the man into the truck and opened the side door. "Get in, get in!" he hissed to the remaining men; a few of them immediately followed orders - others had to be assisted. Brian ended up receiving a hefty kick in the backside when he began to hold up the line.

Meanwhile, the guards had begun sprinting to the truck, and Heero had opened the passenger side door and grabbed the two pistols hidden beneath the seat. Ensuring that they were loaded, he slipped a hidden knife from his boot, put it between his teeth, and straightened.

Immediately the advancing guards caught sight of him and stopped, drawing their weapons. Six guards didn't even make it to shoulder level as Heero's pistols exploded in bursts of rapid fire. The remaining two turned tail and sprinted as he was shooting down the first six; without breaking rhythm, Heero grabbed the knife from his teeth and launched it with all his power. It took a guard in the shoulder; he went down like a rock. The remaining man had nearly made it to the door when Heero's bullet blasted into his right ankle; twisting in agony, the final guard fell to the ground.

The smattering of footsteps resounded throughout the warehouse again; more guards were on their way. Heero reloaded the pistols in record time as he leaned back to check on the other men.

Most of them were standing secure in the back of the truck. Midas was standing outside, glaring. Heero ignored him and stepped around to the back, saying quickly, "Where are your arms?"

Spitfire exchanged an uneasy glance with the rest of his squadron. "Back at our post," he admitted to Heero.

Groaning inwardly, he said, "We're going to have to retreat, then, and fast." He held up a pistol. "Who's the best shot?"

Glances were exchanged, as the footsteps increased in volume and number. When no one replied, Heero tossed a gun to Brian and said, "Shoot whoever follows us."

With that, he closed the truck door halfway, and then headed to the driver's seat.

"Hold on just a second," came a voice, and Heero in frustration turned to meet Midas's cold brown gaze.

"What?" he said sharply, consciously aware of the approaching guards. His mind was quickly ticking down the seconds until they were confronted again.

"You could be leading us into a trap - "

"Oh, come on," cried Laser, from the back of the truck. "We gotta get out of here!"

Midas angrily pointed a finger at Heero, stubbornly refusing to move. "He is taking us straight into the enemy's - "

The footsteps were too close, the situation too drastic, and Heero too annoyed with this self-righteous little pest. In two short steps he had crossed the ground between them, and, with a well-aimed blow to the base of the neck, Midas hit the ground.

Heero dragged the man into the passenger side door, jumped into the driver's seat, started the engine, and slammed the gas pedal as hard as he could.

The little delivery truck shot forward at exactly the same moment the guards came sprinting out of the doorway - fifteen in number, this time, all armed to the teeth. Red lights began flashing and an alarm blared. Amid the gunfire behind him, the screeching of the wheels, and the droning whine of the siren, Heero heard something in his ear: the radio.

"Squadron one, squadron one, come in, come in!"

Brian gave a cry in the back and, twisting in the seat, Heero looked behind to see a guard coming into close range, a knife in his hand. Letting go of the steering wheel for a split second, he fired once and the man slumped limply to the floor.

Turning back, he gripped the steering wheel again and said quickly into the radio, "This is squadron one, making a getaway, we have alarms going off, could somebody please tell me what happened to security up th - "

The men in the back yelled again. Heero twisted, took aim, fired, twisted back around and continued driving.

A man was yelling in his ear. "Squadron three has retreated, we were attacked with numbers too large for us. I repeat, squadron three has _retreated_, do you copy?"

Heero swore under his breath. "Yeah, I copy," he muttered, narrowing his eyes. With another pistol shot and an extra push on the gas, the delivery truck shot out of the warehouse and onto the street outside. Moments later, he was puttering smoothly through the crowded streets of downtown L1 Sector 2.

**13:22 PM**

****

"To tell you the honest truth, Jacks, I'm impressed. And I am not impressed easily, especially with new recruits."

Heero barely glanced up. Tavera was flattering him, but that was to be expected. Though he enjoyed Tavera a million times better than the stern, blunt, baleful Roberts, he neither liked nor trusted the man. The sickly sweet flattery wasn't even coming close to penetrating Heero's skin, much less his heart.

He took another bite of steak. After returning to headquarters after the mission, they had had a lengthy debriefing session, in which Heero spoke little and enjoyed the fact that Midas was absent, due to being completely unconscious on a bed in the medical room. Following the debriefing, Tavera cornered Heero and asked him for a private meeting in Roberts' office. As if he could've declined the request.

So he was sitting across from the commanding duo, eating a slice of steak with mashed potatoes and gravy for lunch. Bribery. They wanted him to do something for him.

Not that he would've turned it down, of course. Missioning is hungry work.

"Again, I apologize for Midas's behavior," repeated Tavera for the umpteenth time. "He is usually the very epitome of a trained professional. I don't understand what made him act so terribly during the mission."

Heero made no response; an indifferent shrug sufficed.

"Perhaps there was provocation."

That was Roberts. Heero looked up sharply.

"Perhaps," drawled the dark-haired, cold man, "Jackson here could have provoked Midas into acting this way; dropping subtle hints, the like. In private, which would explain why the other men didn't hear." Roberts leaned back, his harsh voice sending an icy hand of suspicion and odd familiarity down Heero's spine. "With his _skills_ - " the word was saturated with sarcasm - " - he could've easily turned Midas against him, and all to look good."

Heero drew back slightly, glaring at the man. "That's ridiculous."

"Is it?" Roberts sharply replied, leaning forward. "Isn't that what you love, Jackson? Attention? It's the same with every freelance mercenary. Do whatever you want to get attention and merit from those supposedly inferior to you and your all-mighty - "

"All right, all right," Tavera cut in sharply, black eyes shooting warnings at both Heero and Roberts. "Enough. Roberts, you know better than that - "

"You don't know him, Tavera. You don't know if he would go after something like that for - " The volume of that terrible harsh voice has risen threefold.

"And you do?" Tavera said flatly.

Roberts' mouth closed with an almost audible snap. Heero opened his mouth to ask any of the millions of questions burning the tip of his tongue, but then -

BANG.

"He hit me! He HIT me! In the middle of a mission, a man who isn't even a squadron leader _hits_ me! He's a raving lunatic, I tell you - "

Midas had come bellowing into the room, looking disheveled and actually very comical in a hospital nightgown, his head wrapped in a thin bandage.

" - attacked, but everything was under _control_! Of all the nerve, this man - brand new! - knocks me out in the middle of a _mission_! I say we - "

Midas suddenly realized that the three other occupants of the room were staring at him, Tavera and Heero with amused expressions, Roberts with his emotionless glare.

"I - uh - " he stammered, looking infinitely uncomfortable.

Heero would've laughed if he hadn't been masquerading in a criminal gang.

Tavera said, perfectly calm, "Actually, I do believe that Jacks here took the perfect course of action in the given situation. When a squadron member begins to forget his mission and duty, all measures must be taken to ensure that he does not threaten the mission's success. I highly approve of this man's actions and do hope that he will continue to make the right choices in the future."

Midas was completely speechless. He staggered back through the doorway. He stood there for a moment, until he managed to work his mouth again. He raised a shaking finger at Heero, glaring balefully..

Heero raised one eyebrow coolly.

Tavera slammed the door shut in Midas's face, and Heero had to fight the urge to laugh aloud.

**15:57 PM**

The office was dark, Jacks having left long ago. Two men were there together, illuminated only by a single lamp in the corner. Roberts was standing against a wall, while Tavera lounged in the armchair. Their voices were quiet, hushed, secretive.

"The men said that every one of his bullets was perfectly aimed."

"But…?" Roberts prompted shortly.

"Never to kill. Only to wound. He killed only one guard the entire time, Roberts."

The man muttered quietly, "And you doubted my reason for accusing him of provoking Midas. I do not trust him - "

"Oh, be honest, man," Tavera said, in his true voice; not the sweet, flattery-coated tones he used with the men, but the callous, severe bark that Roberts knew so well. "We don't trust a single one of these boys out here killing and stealing for us." He paused, glancing at the door. "But I do like this one. He has…spunk."

Roberts made no move, but the malevolent glare said more than enough.

"I know, I know," Tavera said, sighing, "you were against this from the start." He glanced up at his partner in crime. "For reasons you refuse to tell me."

Again, Roberts did not reply.

**17:49 PM**

****

"…and you should have seen his face, Re, it was absolutely hilarious. I had to _fight_ to keep from laughing sitting right there with two heartless criminals."

Relena, sitting with her chin in her hands, enjoying just watching Heero on the vidcam screen, smiled. "I'm glad everything went well on the first day, Heero."

He grinned, settling back in the chair. The vidcam screen was a private one he had walked six blocks to use, determined to keep the chances of Tavera discovering who he really was to a bare minimum - preferably at nil.

"What do you think they're going to use it for?" Relena asked.

"The alloy?"

"Yeah."

"I'm not sure…yet. Tavera insists they're after the austenarium, but I'm not stupid."

Relena snorted.

"It's all about the serno. I just can't figure out…I mean, it's very powerful, probably the alloy coming closest to gundamanium. But as far as I know they have no warehouse of their own…I need to figure out where they're storing all of this stuff. One of the men in the mission today said that they've been stealing metals like this for the past ten months."

"Uh-oh," Relena said, her forehead creased with worry. "That can't be good."

"No," Heero agreed, running a hand wearily through his hair. "No, it can't."

They sat in worried silence for a moment, both with their own thoughts, until Relena said quietly, "How are Tavera and Roberts?"

Heero grimaced. "Well, they lead a crime gang. Enough said. But…Tavera's all right, I think - for a criminal. At least he's not Roberts."

"What's wrong?" Relena asked, noticing the instant change in Heero's voice.

"He is so - so…I don't know, Re. Something about him…" Heero shook his head. "I cannot stand the man. Every gesture he makes, word he says…something is so - so _off_ about him."

With every word, Heero's voice was growing more and more agitated.

"I can't decide if he belongs in a criminal gang or in someplace completely different - I can't decide if the absolute cruelty I see in him is all a façade or truth…and heck, if that's thing's a mask he is the best actor I have ever met in my entire life."

"Do _you_ think it's a façade?"

"Absolutely not," Heero replied instantly. "But…but then that leaves the question as to why he's so bitter and cynical and intolerable and - " he stopped, noticing the look Relena was giving him. "Sorry," he muttered. "I don't like the guy."

"Apparently," she said wryly.

Heero sighed, deciding a change of subject was in order. "So how've you been, Re? You feeling okay?"

She smiled. "Yeah, so far. A lot better than I did with Amy."

He returned the smile. "I remember."

"Shut up."

Another grin. "I'm glad you're feeling fine so far. How's work?"

A sigh. "Bearable, at least - due solely to one Brad Wilshaw. I swear, Heero, that man is our savior. I don't think I'd be able to hold up without him here to help out." She paused, then added, "He's really becoming like the grandpa Amy never had."

Heero couldn't stop the smile that spread across his face at his wife's obvious love for the elderly man. "I'm glad he's there to help you, Re."

"So am I, Heero. So am I."


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

The next two weeks passed in what became a regular routine for both Heero and Relena. Heero was assigned to two more missions, both of which dealt with the sernoplutonium in one way or another. Tavera apparently decided that his new favorite activity was boasting about "Jacks," because that was what he did, every single day. A small group of members of the gang grew to resent Heero, but of course he didn't care. He was too intent watching every move every member of the 'organization' made, especially Roberts - he just _knew_ that one day, he would find Roberts at the bottom of all this illegal planning. There was something about the man that made Heero's skin crawl, something just _not right_.

Life masquerading in a criminal organization was uneasy at the best of times; Heero preferred to keep to himself, because sitting with the other men and hearing the subjects of their conversations shook him so badly inside that it nearly threatened the mask he wore in their presence. Slipping into a soldier mode was easy enough, but when your companions were discussing the most effective way to murder a child it was disturbing at best - and then add the fact that you indeed _have_ a child, it proved to be an extremely unsettling situation for Heero. The men were all under the impression that he was a trained killing machine - which, Heero kept reminding himself to help keep up the façade, he had been. In fact, they assumed he had no heart at all, and Heero was perfectly happy with them thinking that about him.

The hours stretched into days, the days slowly into weeks; the nightly conversations with Relena, at a different vidcam each night - usually farther and farther away from headquarters - became the only thing Heero had to look forward to during the long hours. To see Amy's sweet face and hear her excited voice chattering on and on about her latest exploits with friends and the ever-present and cheerful Brad Wilshaw was refreshing enough to him, but to also watch Relena and talk with her about anything that was worrying or puzzling or just bugging him was the perfect tonic for his soul and mind. Living among dissolute, uncaring, callous people day in and day out was wearying on the mind, but seeing Relena nightly, if only through a screen, was enough to keep him going.

And he didn't realize how much seeing _him_ was helping Relena. Her days were going much better, thanks to the constant help from Wilshaw, but life was hard - especially with the baby. She was just barely three months pregnant, due on the nineteenth of March. She wasn't far enough along to start getting really sick, but already she was feeling wearier each night. Brad had noticed, and had settled into the routine of directing the household help and getting Amy to and from her different activities during the day, leaving Relena time to both get work done and find some alone time - something she hadn't had since Amy had been kidnapped. Brad was an immense help, more than she could ever repay, but there was nothing in comparison to talking with her husband every night.

Until one day in mid-November, when Relena began to feel that something was going steadily wrong.

**22 NOVEMBER 293 - SATURDAY**

**14:02 PM**

****

_Beep, beep, beep!_

"Oh crap," Relena muttered around the pen in her teeth. Her hands were filled with papers and three more pens of different colors, and both Brad and Amy had left for Amy's soccer practice.

"Eliza?" she attempted to yell, calling for the woman that came over for three hours every afternoon. "Can you get that?"

There was a faint reply from downstairs, which Relena hoped was in the affirmative, and finally the incessant vidcam beeping stopped.

"It's Mr. Yuy, ma'am," came the call from downstairs.

Relena dropped the papers instantly. It was only two o'clock in the afternoon - normally Heero's calls were made late at night. She left the work where it was and hurried to the vidcam room.

"Heero," she said, smiling as she entered the room. "What's the occasion?"

He was sitting in a chair, holding a clipboard and writing something on a thick sheet of paper. "Hey, Re," he said detachedly, scribbling faster.

"H-hey," she said hesitantly. "Why - why are you calling so early?"

The writing stopped; Heero let out a long breath. "What," he said, suddenly snappish, "there's only a certain time I can call my wife?"

Surprised, Relena took a step back. "No - no," she said, "of course not, I - " She stopped, took a closer look. "What's wrong, Heero?"

"Nothing's _wrong_, Relena," he said, in a tolerant tone. "You always assume the worst." He glanced up, not meeting her eyes, and studied her. "I should be asking the question. What's wrong with you? You look terrible."

"Well, thanks," she said, startled and irritated. "I've only been working my butt off all day - "

"Oh, like I haven't?" he snapped back immediately. "Like I'm just sitting up here twiddling my thumbs? Like I don't have a ton of work to - "

"Sorry," she said quietly. He gave a frustrated sigh and went back to the clipboard.

Silence stretched, an uncomfortable one. Relena ventured, "What are you writing?"

Abruptly Heero threw down the pen and clipboard, causing her to jump. "What _is _this?" he cried. "I can't even write without you wanting to know every single detail!" He shook his head, standing up. "You know what, Relena, I can't take this right now. I have enough pressure without you bugging me."

Without another word, he switched off the vidcam.

In the hurt and shocked stillness that followed, Relena whispered, "I…love you too."

**23 NOVEMBER 293 - SUNDAY**

**16:57 PM**

****

Lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes and carrots went flying into the salad bowl almost faster than Hilde could believe. Staring, the repetitive bang of the chopping knife in her ears, she took a concerned look at her best friend.

"Uh…Re?"

No response. The blond woman went on chopping as if her life depended on it.

Dorothy entered the kitchen, pulling her long hair up in a ponytail as she said, "Okay, what can I do to - "

She stopped as she realized that Hilde was staring at Relena, who was going at the salad like a woman possessed.

"Is…everything okay?"

Hilde dragged her eyes from Relena to Dorothy and raised an eyebrow. "You ever seen tomatoes die that fast?" she whispered.

Dorothy took another look at Relena, then, stunned, shook her head.

Hilde put down the grater and crossed to put her hand on Relena's arm. "Relena?"

Relena stopped chopping and went still, and for the first time, Hilde noticed the glisten in her friend's eyes. Drawing a breath, she turned Relena to face her and said, "Re, what's wrong?"

She shook her head, reluctant to answer. Hilde shook her gently and said, "_Tell _me," as Dorothy crossed the kitchen to put an arm around Relena anxiously.

"I just - " Relena's voice wavered uncertainly as she angrily brushed a hand across her eyes. "I'm so - "

"What?"

"Worried about Heero," came the words in an anxious rush.

Hilde attempted to hug her: "Of course you are, hon - "

"No," Relena said forcefully, pushing Hilde firmly away. "_No_, that's not what I mean. I mean, yes, I'm worried about him, but - oh, Hilde, yesterday he called on the vidcam and he was so - _so_ worried, or rushed, or something, because he was so mean…but he's _never _mean to me, _never_, so something must be so wrong that he…" her voice trailed off, and Relena shook her head helplessly. Two tears leaked out from her eyes and trailed their way cautiously down her face. She gave a shuddering breath and sat down in the middle of the kitchen, trying not to let more tears fall.

"Wait," Hilde said. "Tell me exactly what happened." She knelt down on the floor with Dorothy, and they listened as Relena recounted her conversation with Heero.

As she finished, Dorothy gave a low whistle. "That doesn't sound like Heero at all."

Relena shook her head fiercely, closing her eyes tightly to prevent tears.

"But he _is_ all alone in a criminal gang," Hilde said, eager to comfort Relena. "We don't know what that could be doing to him psychologically." She turned to Relena. "Are you sure it's not just - well, you know - emotional stuff from being…"

"Pregnant?" Relena finished for her, giving a sigh.

"Yeah."

She shrugged listlessly, her eyes roaming around the kitchen without seeing anything. "I don't know. Maybe. Maybe I'm just overreacting." She heaved another sigh and stood up, holding onto the counter for support. "That's probably it."

Hilde rose with her, reaching out a hand to wipe another tear from Relena's cheek. "And if that's not it, then he's just having a hard time out there. Just know that he's doing it for Amy's sake, and for yours, and this will all be over soon. Okay, Re? He loves you, you know that, right?"

She nodded.

"More than any of us really know, I think," Hilde continued softly. "He's Heero, for heaven's sake - he was the Perfect Soldier and now he's a - a daddy and a husband and your best friend. Don't worry."

Comforted, Relena nodded, a lot more strongly this time, and said with a wavering grin, "Hand me that salad, and I'll go start setting the table."

Dorothy obliged with a smile, and Relena left the kitchen. As soon as she was gone, however, both Hilde and Dorothy's faces turned to expressions of concern and worry.

"What do you think?" Hilde asked, her voice edged with unease.

"I don't know," Dorothy said quietly, staring after Relena, "but whatever's going on up there, we better hope its not threatening Heero."

"Why?"

"Do you have any idea of the effect it'll have on us down here if we lose him? He's the center of all of us, the - the pillar of strength."

Hilde nodded in agreement. Heero was definitely the leader of the group. "Not only that," she added, her voice lowering in worry, "if we lose him…we're going to lose Relena too."

**24 NOVEMBER 293 - MONDAY**

**15:33 PM**

****

The next vidcam call from Heero came at about three thirty in the afternoon the next day. The minute the vidcam alarm went off, Relena felt a strange feeling in the pit of her stomach, and knew immediately that Heero was on the other end. She looked up from where she was playing a children's board game with Amy at Brad, who was sitting nearby reading a newspaper. He nodded without Relena having to say anything, and went to answer the call.

Relena stared after him, feeling unexplainably uneasy.

"Mom?" Amy said, waving a die in her line of vision. "You have to move to the blue circle."

Distractedly Relena moved her game piece to the appointed spot, but five seconds later Amy was back waving the die again. "Mom?"

"Sorry, honey," Relena sighed. "I just better go see who's on the vidcam, that's all - some people from my work might be calling me - "

The blond head snapped up, looking at Relena intently. "Could it be Daddy?"

She had to smile. "I don't know, Amy, it might be him."

"Let's go see!" The little girl rose immediately and dashed into the hall. Relena suddenly felt nauseous. "Uh, Amy - " she hurried after her daughter. If Heero were in the same beyond-sour mood, he would hurt Amy terribly. He had never done it before, but then again he had never hurt Relena like he had two days ago, either…

It was Heero, all right. He was seated, fingers flying across the keyboard of a laptop. As Relena entered the vidcam room, he glanced up at his wife and daughter and then quickly looked back down again.

"Hi Daddy!" Amy cried, ecstatic to see him. She had climbed eagerly into the vidcam chair and was smiling up at her father.

He looked up, nodded, looked down again. Silently.

Relena felt a twinge of anger. "Heero - " she began.

"Look, Relena, I can't really talk for very long."

She closed her mouth, studying the figure on the screen. What in the world was wrong with him? Amy, sensing that something was not right, hesitantly began filling in the silence with a story of her own, something about how she and Brad had been playing some kind of tag earlier that day.

Relena was only half-listening to Amy, mostly studying Heero, her thoughts flying. Something was so wrong with him, and Duo and the others hadn't believed her.

She lifted Amy and sat down on the chair with the little girl in her lap.

"How've you been, Heero?" she began cautiously.

He didn't even glance at her; apparently he hadn't been paying attention to Amy either.

"Fine."

Amy was staring at her father in disbelief. Never before had he not paid attention to her stories.

"I had a doctor's appointment earlier today," Relena said quietly, her heart feeling as if it was slowly being squeezed to nothing.

He said nothing.

"Daddy?" Amy said. "I've been waiting all weekend to tell you about a movie Brad and Mommy went to see with me. It was really cool, there was planes and helicopters and this guy came jumping out of the air to save the lady - and she had really long hair, Daddy, and was really pretty, and I've been trying to grow my hair out like her but Mommy says we can't dye it brown - "

Heero suddenly gave a very frustrated sigh. "You know what, kid, I'm really tired, and really busy, and don't really care that you can't change your hair color, but I'm fighting for your safety up here so the least you can do is give me a little peace, huh?"

"But I was just - "

"Oh, for God's sake, shut up!"

Amy was slammed into silence. She glanced at Relena, then nervously at the doorway. Thankfully Brad had left before he had heard Heero speak.

Relena was glaring at her husband, even though she was near tears herself. She stood up abruptly, letting Amy slide to the floor. "You," she said furiously, trembling from head to toe, "how _dare_ you speak to your daughter like that. I don't know what your problem is, Heero, but whatever it is you need to shape up and get it figured out, because you are hurting your family down here."

He gave another sigh. "Whatever, Relena."

The vidcam screen went blank.

In the ensuing silence, Amy's quavering voice said, "Did I say something wrong?"

Her heart ripping, Relena knelt to take her daughter in her arms. Heero would have _never_, in a million years, swore at his daughter and then told her to shut up. Never. "No, no, honey." She felt Amy's tears on her shoulder and one of her own slowly trickling down her cheek, and hugged her even tighter. "Daddy didn't mean what he said, sweetie, he's just…sick."

As Amy accepted the excuse, Relena found herself thinking, _If only he were; then I would at least have some grasp on what in the world is going on_.

**24 NOVEMBER 293 - MONDAY**

**14:36 PM**

****

"Which floor, sir?"

Heero glanced up at the elevator-man, who was standing rigidly at attention near the button panel. A very well-dressed lady next to him was eyeing Heero up and down appreciatively, even though she was dressed in what was probably the most expensive suit available and he was in jeans and a jacket. Ignoring her, Heero said, "Twenty-three, please."

The lady studied him - very obviously - the entire elevator ride, until the bell dinged at floor twenty-three and Heero abruptly stepped off, glad to be rid of her.

He _hated _when ladies did that; he had almost forgotten how much it annoyed him, but due to the disguise, the absence of his wedding band, and Relena light-years away instead of at his elbow, it had been happening more and more lately. Trying to shrug it off, Heero made his way through the cubicles of the busy office building until he can face-to-face with a small one in the back, complete with personal vidcam screen.

The flow of human traffic was far away on the opposite side of the building. Quietly taking a seat, Heero logged out of the server and pulled up the most secure connection he could find. Lately, the vidcams through which he had been contacting Relena had been harder to find; there was a certain standard of security he was trying hard to uphold. There was no way he would ever attempt to contact Relena through a regular civilian public vidcam, which could be - and was - hacked into on a regular basis.

The sending digits were typed, and as soon as Heero pushed 'send' he began the stopwatch on his wrist. It would take a minimum of six minutes and forty-three seconds to hack into this connection, but Heero planned on keeping the conversation to a neat four minutes flat.

Relena answered on the third beep. She was standing in the vidcam room, wearing an elegant dinner dress, and was pinning her hair up as she spoke.

"Hey," was the extent of her greeting.

"Hi," Heero returned, startled by her brevity. "How was your day?"

He had spoken to her only last night, and the conversation had been a quick one minute two seconds - Amy and Brad had been waiting for her out in the limo; they were going to a movie. One of Relena's few moments to spend with her family, and Heero hadn't wanted to keep her. That's why he was especially looking forward to an extra - well, three minutes - to catch up on all he had missed.

Relena was studying her reflection in a picture frame on the wall, trying to twist her hair up to perfection without the use of hairspray. She seemed to be in a rush. "Fine," she said. "I have a meeting beginning in twenty minutes, and then we're going to dinner."

"This early?" Heero glanced at his watch: barely 2:30 PM. Her meeting couldn't last more than an hour and a half - meaning dinner would be at four.

She seemed startled for a brief moment, until she said, "Just an early dinner."

"Oh." Disappointed that she was leaving, Heero tried, "Is Amy there?"

"At a friend's house."

"I haven't seen her in three days," Heero murmured, feeling suddenly alone and left out.

Relena shot him a look. "Nothing I can do about that, Heero, and you know it." She stepped back from the picture frame, satisfied. "All right, now, I have to go. I assume everything's going well up there?" She didn't give him time to respond. "Then I'm off." She picked up her purse and looked at him expectantly.

Heero's brow furrowed in slight confusion. "Oh - okay. Have fun, Re, be careful. I love you."

"Yeah." The screen went blank.

Feeling that something was just the slightest bit amiss, Heero couldn't help glancing at his stopwatch.

Fifty-eight seconds.****

**25 NOVEMBER 293 - TUESDAY**

**07:56 AM**

****

"Try not to get yourself in trouble with squadron one's leader, huh, Jacks?"

Heero shot back calmly, "I'll just stay alive, Carrot Top, and carry out the mission solo while you girls run around screaming like last time."

Tank, a member of the squadron - a huge man of nearly three hundred pounds of muscle, and a rather amiable one that Heero actually liked - gave a rumbling laugh from deep in his cavernous chest. "Yeah, I woulda paid ta see that one."

Brian glared at the huge man. "Aw, shaddup, Tankers. At least I didn't - "

"I don't plan to get in trouble with Midas, thank you very much," Heero cut in abruptly. He stood up; he had finished setting up the comlink with squadron two. They were seated in a janitor's closet of L1's docking bay. The constant hum of ship's engines was all around them, along with the metallic whirring of the electronically locked doors and the low buzz of conversation. Like any other day, the bay was crowded, busy, and loud - Heero's favorite scenario to stage a covert operation.

The plan was different than the first mission, though their objective was the same; crates of sernoplutonium and austenarium. L3 had ordered helicopters to take the crates from the factory and then a few standard spaceships to transport it to the construction factories L3 was famous for. Heero knew those operations were perfectly legal; he seriously doubted this about Tavera's motives for the alloys.

The helicopters would be arriving in exactly four minutes and thirty-three seconds. They had a minute and a half to make their way out of the docking bay to the helipads, where they would rendezvous with squadron one to retrieve the crates from the three transport helicopters. Once again, the squadrons were dressed in the inconspicuous attire of bay workers.

Heero didn't like the monotony of these missions; this was only his second, but already he could tell that the missions Tavera and Roberts planned all shared similarities than left an uncomfortable taste in Heero's mouth. The disguises, the alloy…everything went well, but it almost seemed that the two leaders were putting more of their time, effort, and brainpower into other…areas. Heero didn't know what, but he aimed to find out.

"Ready to go, Jacks?" Tank asked him, fingering the white pistol at his side. Security pistols were standard issue for dock workers - the bay saw a lot of weirdos coming in from the Earth and other colonies - but squadron two, in charge of firearms, had neatly added features to these pistols, increasing range, rounds, and adding almost invisible silencers.

Heero nodded, and they left, hiding their regular equipment and clothing in the closet.

They made their way quickly to the helipads outside. Twice, people just coming off their ships asked for directions, which Brian gave swiftly and amiably. They walked as if they belonged, and were just patrolling the corridors, but avoided authentic guards with care when possible.

Outside, the machine-generated sky was gray and appeared cloudy; artificial thunder rumbled in the distance. However, there wasn't a trace of the wet breeze one feels before a storm on Earth, none of the invisible electricity coursing through the air, none of the apprehension when a thunderhead finally appears. Heero felt an aching in his heart for the familiar smell of rain; though he had been born on this Colony, he had always loved Earth. Earth was where he had met Relena; Earth was home.

"Was wind planned?" Brian asked. For the convenience of Colony citizens who didn't enjoy weather other than the standard 78 degrees and blue skies, a detailed weather report was given every morning at eight on all communication links across the Colony. It gave the time of wind gusts scheduled and at what exact time the rain was going to fall. Heero hated it, hated the artificialness of everything.

"Yup, starting 'bout 8:01," Tank replied.

"Won't change anything, right?"

"They'll probably get pretty strong," Heero murmured, glancing regretfully at the false clouds above him. "But they won't last long, and won't disturb a helicopter flight too much."

As they came around the corner and into view of the helipads, Heero caught a glimpse of the other squadron heading to the same point. Immediately his gaze swung upward to spot three helicopters visible against the soft gray of the sky.

He sighed inwardly. The mission was going exactly as planned. In a way, Heero missed the riskier, more haphazard missions he had executed as a Gundam pilot - there, you had to be prepared for everything, because anything could happen at any time; there was no surety, anywhere. Heero didn't associate with any members of the gang besides Brian, because besides the fact that they were cold-blooded killers, they were all the hulking kind of men and women who had no idea how to carry out a real mission. They relied on force, on a kill-and-run philosophy. But in the Gundam world, when you were surrounded on all sides by enemies and you were half-dead yourself, there did not exist such a philosophy.

"First copter's flying awfully low," Brian murmured.

Heero glanced up and realized that Brian was right. All three helicopters were from Sparks and Sons, Inc., an alloy plant located across the Colony. Heero had been watching for their logo: two yellow S's separate by a lightning bolt on a gray field.

The copters coming in were Sparks and Sons; he thought he could make out the letters and lightning bolt on the back of the nearest copter. However, it was flying in very fast, and very low, almost on a collision course with the ground.

The other squadron had arrived; Heero noticed Midas glaring at him as a greeting and ignored it, focusing instead on the incoming helicopter.

"Hey, uh, Jacks? Why's it comin' in so fast?" Tank muttered, bewildered.

"Don't know," Heero said, almost to himself, narrowing his eyes as he stared.

"What are you talking about?" Midas growled. "Nothing's wrong with the way it's flying. Come on, boys," he called, "let's go meet it and haul some cargo."

"Don't," Heero said immediately. The copter wasn't close enough to notice any fine details yet, but his gut was telling him something was amiss. "You go out to that pad, you put yourself in danger."

The other men looked between Midas and Heero, clearly uneasy. Midas had been with them longer, yet Heero had proved himself a smart and formidable man to deal with. Plus, he had already bested Midas twice…

Midas, of course, hadn't hesitated. He walked briskly out to the helipad and stopped in the dead center of it to glare back at Heero, the wind whipping his hair angrily.

But Heero wasn't paying attention; his eyes were fastened on the nearest helicopter. It came closer and closer, and gradually Heero realized that something was nagging at him. Something was wrong, very wrong, with that helicopter…and the two behind it…

A man swore loudly to Heero's left, and then yelled, "The thing has no pilot!"

Heero's eyes shot to the cockpit, and his heart skipped a beat; the man was right - the front window of the helicopter was completely empty. The thing was on autopilot _and _autoland - no - wait - Heero looked closer.

The logo on the back of the helicopter was not two S's divided by lightning; it was a design he had never seen before, of yellow swirls surrounding a gray T. These were not the helicopters they were scheduled to meet, and they were not on autoland.

"Get back here!" Heero yelled at the top of his lungs to Midas. "Get off of that pad, it's going to crash!"

The men realized it just a moment after Heero did, but the wind had increased such that their voices were lost in it. Midas, yards away, could hardly hear the roar of the helicopter behind him, much less the voices of the men back near the building.

There was a subtle rumble of thunder, and the first few sprinklings of raindrops landed forcefully on the ground. Midas was still standing out there on that pad, and Heero looked up fearfully to see the helicopter.

It was five hundred yards away and closing fast. Heero stared at it, realized exactly where it was headed, and felt his stomach drop to his feet. His mind was telling him to look away, but his eyes were fastened on the scene in horror. He heard himself yell to Midas, felt rather than heard the wind whip away his words, and he raised his gaze from the lone man on the helipad to the copter. It was five hundred yards away, and Heero saw now that there _was _a pilot, propped up low against the right window, a stain smearing the glass.

It was the last thing he saw before the helicopter slammed into the helipad. Midas had, at the last minute, turned, seen what was happening, and attempted to run away. Of course he had been far, far too late.

The thing exploded, and Heero turned and ran in the nick of time. The other men had the same idea; Heero felt the blasting heat and suddenly realized that the whole thing - the serno, the austenarium, the missions - was a complete setup.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

**25 NOVEMBER 293 - TUESDAY**

**12:29 PM**

He was certainly not afraid to go in to see Tavera, but Heero was apprehensive. The man called Midas was dead - very, certainly dead - and Tavera and Roberts would definitely have something to say to that. Midas _had_ been one of their best men - if not the best, before Heero came around - and now he was dead. True, because of his own stupidity, but still…

Heero entered the now-familiar office for his scheduled debriefing, more than a little on guard. As usual, it was dim, cool, and slightly foreboding.

Tavera was seated behind the desk, as usual, with Roberts standing behind him, studying a plaque on the wall. The latter did not move as Heero entered the room, but Tavera immediately burst into a bright smile.

"Jacks! Good to see you!"

Despite being entirely out of character altogether for a mob leader, the greeting was nothing like what Heero had in mind. Since he couldn't think of anything to say to that, he sat in the usual chair, keeping his face blank. As he expected, Tavera easily filled the silence.

"Such a relief to hear that you escaped the disaster out at the docking bay. Many of the boys tell me that you were the one who warned them against the danger - they have you to thank for their lives!"

The leader of the strongest criminal organization in the Colonies and Earth was beaming. Heero was, to say the least, a little confused.

"Sir," he began, "about Midas - "

But Tavera immediately cut him off with a wave of his hand. "Don't worry about it," he say, almost jovially. "Not a problem. Fool couldn't take orders, he deserved what he got."

Heero, of course, remained still, but inwardly this jarred him a bit. _Whoa…thought Midas was the favorite? Seems a little cold…_

"Convenient."

The low hiss came from the dark corner of the room where Roberts was standing. Heero's gaze flickered to the other man, and Tavera asked, "What was that?"

"I said, convenient," Roberts said coldly, turning around, glaring at Heero with eyes full of loathing. Heero felt his back stiffen. "Immensely convenient. Your only rival in this organization has been eliminated. Roadblock number one has been felled."

"Stop it," Tavera scoffed, "Jacks saved the lives of three squadrons."

"Mmm," Roberts murmured, a ghost of a smirk flitted across his face, "just like last time, I'm sure."

Resisting the overwhelming urge to pummel the man, Heero let his face show a complete calm as Tavera muttered, "Sorry, Jackson. You're dismissed, there isn't much to debrief as the mission didn't exactly go to plan. Thank you for your help."

Heero left, grateful to be out of the presence of the two men. Tavera oozed friendliness and sick camaraderie, while Roberts… For a brief moment, Heero let his hands tighten into fists. Something about that man…Heero never left that office without wanting to slice the other commander in two. He didn't know what it was, but he suspected that Roberts was up to something, and he wasn't about to let it go.

If only he could talk to Relena about it…

**1 DECEMBER 293 - MONDAY**

**05:44 AM**

The bedroom was dim; the curtains on the windows prohibited the early morning rays of sunlight from streaming into the room. The snowstorm of last night had stilled, and the sun had finally decided to show itself. But the room felt just as chilly as it had outside the previous night, and Relena, curled up tightly in the big, empty bed, felt very cold and very alone.

Amy hadn't woken up yet; the minute she did, Relena would feel a bit of warm happiness touching her heart, and then Brad would come over to join them for breakfast, and she could laugh a little, play games as she helped Amy get ready for the day. But until then…

Until then, the only emotion in her heart would be the thick, choking worry she had been feeling for more than a week now. She had talked to Heero all of two times since that terrible call Saturday before last, and each had been ten times worse than the previous. She had no idea what had gone so terribly, irreparably wrong, but the last call had been so blunt, so indifferent, so - so _rude_, that Relena honestly wished he wouldn't call again…at least until he had finished whatever he was doing up there. Lately the public had been attacking her family with more ferocity that usual; speculations were abounding, people were suspecting things, public appearances were becoming more and more necessary to quell the rumors…Relena's world, everything she knew and held dear, was changing…and she wasn't sure she could keep up.

A very slow tear slid down her cheek onto a pillow - Heero's pillow. She breathed deep, smelling, sensing him, and wished more than anything that he was there with her. She was feeling so anxious lately, but she had no idea what to do about it. Her husband was her only strength, her only guidance…and he, for some reason, was gone, and Relena didn't know if she could last until he came back to her.

**1 DECEMBER 293 - MONDAY**

**08:00 AM**

****

"Well, at least it's a change from that accursed alloy, doesn't have anything to do with delivery trucks or helicopters, and at least I'm in your squadron."

Heero, glancing sideways at Brian, had to agree. The mission scheduled for today looked to be loads better than the previous expeditions, including the brief mission last Friday. It had gone well, but Brian's qualm was that he was placed in another squadron for once, under a clearly incompetent leader. Today's operation seemed a lot better than anything so far: Heero was pretty sure they'd be in the same squadron, and it was simple reconnaissance again. Heero was especially looking forward to this mission; it wasn't related to an alloy for once, and he was eager to see what else the leaders could connive to fool their minions into thinking they were doing something important. Bottom line was, Tavera and Roberts wanted them out of the way. Heero didn't know why, but today he was determined to try and find out.

It was hard to concentrate on anything other than Relena the past few days. Something was wrong, but Heero couldn't decide if it was serious enough for him to leave and return to Earth. He had been trying to call her every day, but each time she was either not at home and he got the absent message, or she was terse and hurried and busy with something else.

But…it was understandable. She was pregnant, she was living without her husband, she was alone with the press explaining Amy's kidnapping and covering up the absence of that husband…it was…understandable.

At least that's what Heero kept telling himself.

Brian was chattering aimlessly about something or the other, and Heero was half-paying attention as they began to exit the tunnels, when suddenly an arm was thrust in front of him, and Heero came to a dead stop.

"Sorry," said a now-familiar voice: it was Tavera. He looked a little tired, but gave Heero the usual empty smile and said, "Jacks, could you come with me, please?"

Heero nodded once and stepped to the side slightly with Tavera.

Tavera got right to the point. "We don't need you on the mission today."

Heero was stunned, but of course didn't show it. "What?" he said.

"It's just that you've been on the past three, and we didn't find it necessary - "

He was a little lost, and suspicious. Heero was aware of the fact that among all of the elite members in the gang, he was the best. Why was Tavera keeping him back?

"All right," Heero nodded once, appearing totally calm and collected. "Sounds good."

"Good," said Tavera, smiling briefly. "Enjoy your day off," he said, and he left.

Heero stared at his retreating back and muttered, "Yeah, sure." What the heck had been the reasoning behind that?

**4 DECEMBER 293 - THURSDAY**

**11:03 AM**

****

Pots and pans crashed in the sink as Kylie Chang insisted on helping Hilde, Amy, and Callie with the dishes. Sally's daughter, five and a half and as stubborn as her father and boisterous as her mother, was doing more to soak Hilde and the other girls than clean the dishes.

"Mo-om," Callie said, irritated, "Kylie's getting the water all over!"

The little Sally lookalike responded by sticking her tongue out at the offending tattle-teller - immediately setting Callie, and now Amy, off again.

Sally, from an armchair in the living room, heaved a sigh. She glared at Wufei, who was sitting on the couch near her, and cleared her throat meaningfully. Wufei, absorbed in a conversation with Duo and Trowa, didn't move.

Relena watched in mild amusement as Sally, one arm draped lazily over her very large stomach, suddenly snapped angrily, "Well I hate to interrupt you, my lovely caring husband, but your offspring is causing hell in the kitchen and your adoring, _pregnant_ wife is _bursting at the seams_!"

Wufei snarled a bit, but stood and went to the kitchen.

Sally gave Relena a look. "Good to have a husband who cares."

"Stop complaining, woman," called Wufei, where he was restoring order with Hilde.

Rebecca, holding Hilde's six-month-old Nathan in her arms as she sat on the floor, gave Sally one of her sweet smiles. "Thank you so much for breakfast, Sally. It was absolutely delicious, and for you to do it so close to your due date - "

"Ha!" came Wufei's derisive shout. "I cooked it all!"

By default, they ignored him. Trowa halted his conversation with Duo to say to Relena, "How is everything, Relena? Any word from Heero?"

Relena glanced around the room. They had all gathered at the Changs' house for breakfast about two hours ago, with the exception of the Winners. All her best friends were there, looking after the six various children in the house. Their lives were going just fine, and, it seemed to them, so was hers. After all, she had Amy back, and Heero was simply on another one of his missions. It was the holidays. Overzealous carolers were already blasting their wares down the streets at night. She had no reason to be unhappy.

She smiled brightly and said, "Just the usual. He says to keep on top of things here, he'll be in touch and hopefully home for Christmas."

_Didn't know you were such a good liar, Relena. _

"That'd be a nice gift," Rebecca said, smiling. "To have him come home on Christmas morning."

Relena nodded assent.

_But I need him now_.

"So, what do we have so far?" Sally asked. "Anything that can help?"

Duo volunteered, "I'm still working with the Maclemury guy, seeing if I can find anything else suspicious. It'll take some time, though, there's lots of documents and it's all pretty heavily guarded. I still think we should just nab the guy off the street."

Trowa ignored the last comment and murmured, "What about the mysterious Katja Schbeiker?"

Duo grimaced.

"I take it you haven't mentioned anything to Hilde."

"I did," he returned defiantly. "I got a salad bowl over my head and she didn't speak to me the rest of the day."

They glanced uneasily at each other.

Suddenly, there was a loud beeping from the vidcam next to the television. They jumped, and a giggling Lira Barton eagerly hit the receive button on her way to the playroom.

Quatre's face burst on to the screen and he cried, "Everyone, we're leaving to the hospital!"

There was an instant flurry of outbursts and action as the whole group began talking at once. It was eventually figured out that they would meet at the hospital as soon as all the kids could be gathered up, and the call was disconnected after Quatre's nervous, grinning face bid them all a slightly breathless goodbye.

**5 DECEMBER 293 - FRIDAY**

**12:58 AM**

****

"Need any help with her, Re?"

Relena shook her head, thanking Quatre's offer with a weary smile. "Nope, I got it. You go back to your little girl and give her a kiss for me."

He nodded, and went back to see Dorothy and his brand-new daughter, christened Olivia. Relena watched him go, and then exited the hospital, carrying a sleeping Amy in her arms.

The four-year-old was big, and Relena was exhausted, not to mention pregnant, but her mind was on other, more troublesome things. Quatre and Dorothy's little girl had been born about an hour ago, just before midnight. She was beautiful, with a thick head of hair and Quatre's sparkling green eyes. Relena and Amy had been the last to leave, mainly because Amy had been busy peppering Dorothy with questions about babies since she was so excited to have another in her family, and because Relena had sat in the waiting room and realized something.

Something was very wrong. She had been telling herself that this whole problem with Heero was because they were both stressed out, separated, and he was in an extremely dangerous situation. She had thought it was something that would pass…but seeing the looks of love on the new parent's faces as they held their daughter made Relena realize - or rather, remember - that Heero would never, ever just turn on her…and here the small doubting shadow in her heart whispered, _Never turn on you…without explaining why first._

In any case, something was going on, up there on that Colony. They were bribing or blackmailing him to act this way, or something… Maybe they were on his trail, and he really couldn't be on the vidcam with her. Relena was sure - well, she told herself she was sure - that one of these days she would come home to find him playing with Amy, with a good explanation on why he had been forced to hurt her…and how sorry he was.

But what to do about it now? Settling Amy into the car and helping the drowsy little girl fasten her seat belt, Relena then turned the keys in the ignition and pulled out of the driveway, her mind absorbed in the problem. There wasn't much she _could_ do, except…except tell the other pilots. They, out of all people, would be able to give her sound advice.

She would, Relena vowed to herself. Tomorrow, when they met for dinner at Zechs and Lucrezia's mansion. Even if Amy had to hear it…it was better to prepare her now than have something terrible happen later.

**5 DECEMBER 293 - FRIDAY **

**22:59 PM**

****

A soft padding of footsteps sounded from down the hall. Zechs looked up to the doorway to meet the dark gray gaze of his wife.

"Hey," he murmured, "why aren't you asleep? You spent all day getting ready for dinner. Go get some rest."

Lucrezia leaned against the threshold. She looked exhausted, but also extremely anxious. "Zechs…I'm just so worried about Relena. About Heero…and whatever is going on up there with him."

Zechs nodded seriously. "I know, Lu. I don't know what's wrong…I wish Relena had told us before, then maybe I…I don't know." He heaved a sigh, then stood up and crossed over to his wife, pulling her into his arms.

"What are we going to do?" Lucrezia whispered, laying her head back against his shoulder. "You don't think Heero's…well…"

He sighed again, kissing her lightly on the top of the head before replying, "I don't know what to think. Something's just wrong, Lu, and I don't know if it's Heero or - or something else entirely. Whatever it is," he continued, voice dropping to a whisper, "it's hurting my little sister, and it's giving me a feeling in my stomach that I don't like. I'm going to find out what's going on."

**23:34 PM**

"Glad you finally came around to my way of thinking, Q-man."

Quatre sighed. "It's not that I approve, I just think…"

Wufei nodded. "It's the only way."

Gleefully, Duo rubbed his hands together. "Hehheh, Maclemury is in for the ride of his life."

They were in the middle of a four-way vidcam conversation, each hold up in their houses staging a secret conference.

Quatre attempted another remark. "Maybe kidnapping one of the most prestigious members of Senate isn't the best idea."

"You heard Relena today," Trowa murmured. "Something is wrong with Heero. We've checked the records, and we all have the same hunch: that something is somehow tied in with Maclemury."

"Therefore, we attack!" Duo said, beaming.

"Your plans are disastrously simple, Maxwell," Wufei muttered.

"But you agree!"

"All right then," Trowa interrupted. "We'll strike within the next week. Don't let the women know - they won't particularly enjoy this plan. Deal?"

Quatre and Wufei nodded.

Duo, however, merely grinned. "Hoo boy, I'm gonna love getting my hands on that stuck-up goody-goody. Can we lock him up in a cellar with killer rats?"

Quatre sighed.

Groaning, Wufei hung up. The rest followed suit, leaving Duo staring at an empty screen.

"What? What'd I say?"


	12. Chapter 12

**AN: I know, I know. ::looks at empty audience:: Everybody left. ::sigh:: Ah well, I deserve it, I suppose. Not submitting anything for several weeks isn't exactly the way to keep readers happy. " But I'm back, and I promise Incog will be done absolutely as soon as possible…and that's because I have a Christmassy, sweet little fluffy idea for a fic that I want to start on!! But Incog's been taking too long, but I don't want to waste the ending ('cause it's good ) so I'll finish it in these next couple of weeks. My excuse for not updating? School. What else? Oh, and the fact that I got - gasp - _braces._ ::shudder:: Let's not discuss it. On with the story!!**

**Chapter 12**

As it turned out, they didn't have a chance to catch Charles Maclemury. The four Gundam pilots spent the next two days searching for the elusive politician, until they were met with yet another distraction: Saturday night, at promptly 5:40 pm, Sally gave birth to a son she and Wufei named Brandon.

Relena had never felt so terrible in her entire life. The last conversation she had had with Heero, on Friday morning just after breakfast, had ended with him yelling, "Well, then I just won't bother to call anymore!" and punching the 'end' button just as his other hand slammed the contents of a desk to the ground. The rage was sudden, hot, and almost tangible; now, no longer was Relena simply unsettled and hurt by her husband's strange behavior, but she was frightened, too.

She had no idea what to do.

**10 DECEMBER 293 - WEDNESDAY**

**22:32 PM**

****

The television blared loudly from the living room, where eight children were glued to the screen. Relena stuck her head in the doorway and said, "Hey, guys, turn it down a bit, will you?"

Her niece, ten-year-old Ashlyn, picked herself up from the couch and clambered over the blanket where her three-year-old brothers lay. Caleb and Carter were entranced with whatever was happening on the screen, identical dark brown eyes wide and attentive. Ashlyn twisted down the volume and returned to the couch, where she was sitting next to Amy, Kylie, Lira, Callie, and Samuel. Without moving their eyes from the television, they scooted over again to make room for her.

Watching the scene from where she sat in the kitchen, Rebecca had to smile. She was holding her other daughter, Tess, while she and Relena discussed, in quiet tones, the troubles of the past week.

The women were at Relena's house, watching the children, while the husbands were off on some 'mission' - they hadn't really explained much. Rebecca and Relena were seated in the living room, to keep an eye on the children, while Hilde and Dorothy were upstairs nursing their babies and Sally was at the hospital with Wufei and their newborn.

Relena sat at the living room table, keeping one eye on the kids, and spoke to Rebecca in low tones. They were discussing the recent events, and how the four pilots on Earth had been acting very strange lately.

"…and just the other day," said Rebecca thoughtfully, "Trowa came home late and didn't - "

_Crash!_

There was a chorus of shrieks and screams. Relena leaped to her feet and dashed into the living room, where the kids immediately ran to her, the twins sobbing and clutching her pant leg. She glanced quickly around the room, and at first didn't see anything out of the ordinary, until -

There. A window in the back corner of the room had been shattered; glass lay all over the carpet.

Relena had seen it just in time to catch a glimpse of a dark head of hair jump to the side, out of view.

Rebecca, coming up behind, saw the same thing she did. Herding the kids into the kitchen in comforting tones, she nodded to Relena.

Knowing the kids were safe, Relena took off after the intruder. She raced outside, pausing only to stop and grab a pistol Heero kept hidden in the entryway closet. Creeping stealthily through the dark, she carefully placed her feet and listened as she rounded the corner to the broken window.

All was silent - and then, very faintly, her ears straining, Relena picked up the sound of very, very light breathing. She dropped slowly to the ground, and peeked around the corner.

There was a dark form crouched directly under the broken window, out of view from anyone in the house. It wasn't moving, just keeping very still beneath the window, and Relena realized with a chill that the intruder was waiting for them to leave the house.

_Over my dead body_. A fierce protectiveness for her home welled up in Relena, and in one fluid motion she had stood, stepped around the corner, and aimed the pistol directly at the still form below the window.

"Stand up," she commanded, thanking God that Heero had forced her - the pacifist - into shooting lessons. "Hands where I can see them."

The figure had turned sharply in surprise, then froze as the warm light from the window glinted off the cold metal in Relena's hands. Whoever it was didn't move.

"Stand _up_," Relena repeated angrily. "I will not hesitate to shoot you."

Extremely slowly, they obeyed, standing straight in the light of the window. As the warm glow of the living room illuminated the face, Relena felt a twinge of surprise.

It was a female. And a familiar one, at that…where had she seen those dark eyes, dark hair, before…?

An unsettling smile spread across the strange woman's face, and she took a few steps forward. Her walk was slinky, catlike; she wore tight-fitting black pants and a black leather top that fit over her model's body perfectly. Relena felt incredibly inferior to this gorgeous raven-haired beauty, which was odd, because the only other person she felt like that around was -

Hilde.

"Stop," Relena said, surprise evident in her voice. "You're - you're the sister…"

A perfectly formed eyebrow was raised. "I do believe we've met, madam," the woman said in a throaty, rich voice, "in fact, I believe you fed me from your very table."

"Katja." She remembered the name.

The woman took a step forward, and Relena lifted the gun again. "Do not move," she said. "What are you doing on my property?"

Katja Schbeiker, who had accompanied Charles Maclemury to dinner at the Yuy's house exactly six weeks ago, leaned against the wall, her hands on her tiny waist. "Looking around," she murmured, smirking.

Relena was just about to reply, when Katja's fingers suddenly pulled something from the waistband of her pants and aimed it at Relena.

"However," she drawled in her rich voice, "I believe I'm finished. I'll be going now."

She backed up slowly, and Relena, very much aware of the pistol pointed directly between her eyes, didn't move.

"Pity," Katja murmured as she knelt by the window to pick up a backpack of some kind. "Your husband isn't here to save you."

Pause.

"I wonder if Tavera's teaching him well?"

**22:34 PM**

****

"…his name is my name too - "

"I swear, if he doesn't shut up, I will personally call off this entire - "

" - whenever I go out, the people always shout - "

"I will give you _the braid_, Maxwell!"

" - Charles Maclemury the Third!"

"Duo."

This was Trowa. With Wufei it was one thing; when it was Trowa, Duo obeyed.

"You didn't have to come, you know," Braid Boy said sulkily, making a face at Wufei in the backseat of Quatre's car. "Quatre even _said_ you should stay at the hospital."

Wufei lifted his chin and said calmly, "I was well aware of the fact that you cannot possibly complete this operation without my assistance."

Duo snorted. Trowa acknowledged Wufei with a nod.

"Well, you did find the address for us, Wufei," Quatre agreed. "That tricky bit of hacking earns you the highest spot on any mission involving Maclemury."

They were driving down a very well-to-do street, where the lamplights were ornate and dim and the houses were a good acre back from the road. The largest mansion on the street, down at the far end, was where Trowa was steering the car.

"And how are we going to cover for his disappearance?" Wufei asked.

Trowa responded quietly, "I've already dispatched an email from his home account to his office, stating that he's taken a well-deserved break to a remote island paradise."

Staring at the solemn pilot in approval, Duo murmured, "Wow, romantic."

"Quatre thought of it."

They parked two houses down, a good block and a half from Charles' house, just to be safe. Already, they had studied the blueprints and security patterns, and knew the house inside and out. This would be a piece of cake.

Wufei and Quatre disabled the electrical gate by laptop, and snuck up the front walk while Duo and Trowa hopped the fence. They met at the front door for a brief rendezvous before splitting up, each taking a window.

Trowa had shut down all security alerts for an interim of five minutes - just short enough for none of the guards to notice, and long enough for them to get into the house, get Charles, and get back out…quickly. Speed was of the essence.

They entered from different windows and began scouring the mansion, avoiding the odd security guard that patrolled past. The only near encounter was when Duo made a brief detour into the kitchen to grab some "grub", where the cook was sleeping with his head on the counter. By the time the clanging cupboards had awoken the poor employee, Duo was gone, nothing but a trail of cookie crumbs to give away his position.

It was Trowa who found Charles first. He had made his way up to the top floor and found the study, and there, sitting on a huge leather chair and typing furiously on a computer, was Charles Maclemury the Third.

Ducking back into the hall, Trowa radioed the others, and soon Quatre and Wufei were next to him. They waited a minute more for Duo, who was stuffing pastries into his mouth as fast as humanly possible, and then they got to work.

Quatre pulled out the special weapon: a small, oblong object with a pin on one end, looking uncomfortably like a grenade. Duo eyed it warily until Trowa murmured, "Stun gas, that's it."

Duo cackled. The others exchanged rather disturbed looks as he whispered, "Let me chuck it, please!"

Wufei was shaking his head, but Quatre shrugged, seeing no harm in it. Eagerly Duo took the object, released the pin, and threw with all his might.

It hit Charles squarely on the back of the head, knocking him out immediately. As a pale yellowish gas flooded the room, Trowa strapped on his gas mask amid Duo's laughter and Wufei's growling.

"Two birds with one stone, Wuffie!"

The Chinese pilot helped Trowa lift Charles and exit by way of the window, making a face at the offender and muttering, "I'm going to stone _you_, you annoying, braided little - "

**22:36 PM**

****

Relena could not believe her ears. She very nearly dropped the gun as Katja's words rang throughout her head.

"W-what?"

"I said," the gorgeous German repeated, perfectly calm, "I hope Tavera's teaching him well."

_What in the world…_ Relena's mind was spinning. Did the pilots have it wrong? Did Charles have nothing to do with this, after all? True, his fingerprint had been on Amy's windowsill, but maybe he was an accomplice in a plot forged by none other than Hilde's own sister…

It didn't matter how she was involved; she was involved. Relena could not let her get away.

_Keep the subject talking_.

Heero's voice whispered in her mind. "How do you know about Tavera?" Relena inquired, as she rapidly considered her options. She had a gun in her hand and the skill to use it, but also a pistol pointed directly between her eyes. She was at a perfect impasse…

"Let's just say I know Mr. Tavera and his family…intimately," Katja murmured, a lock of wavy, thick dark hair falling over her forehead.

"Good," said Relena, suddenly decided. "Then you can help me."

She leapt forward, saw the surprise flash through the German's wide dark eyes, and watched Katja's slim finger pull the trigger just as Relena fired her pistol and twisted out of the way.

Relena landed to the right, unharmed, and heard Katja hiss in pain as she fell to her knees. In the fall, the pistol had dropped from Relena's hands and slid some five feet away.

_An injured enemy can be the most dangerous._

Panicked, Relena fumbled to reach the gun, but not before she felt the cold steel of Katja's gun against her temple.

"I have long wanted to do this, Miss Peacecraft," the German said through gritted teeth. "You were supposed to be dead years ago."

Relena closed her eyes and held her breath. She had only one worry, one care, running through her mind, and that was for her family.

But the shot never came. Instead, the pressure on the side of her head eased, and Relena sensed Katja stand up very slowly. She dared to open her eyes.

What she saw brought her to her feet in an instant.

Katja was standing with her hands raised above her head, her gun at her feet. To her left, standing in the broken window, was Dorothy, a pistol in her hand, glaring furiously at the intruder…and on Katja's right, having just snuck out from around the side of the house, stood Rebecca, training another firearm on Katja's head.

"Good evening," Dorothy said, smiling silkily. "You do know that trespassing is against the law?"

**23:45 PM**

****

Rebecca took a long breath and sank down on the leather couch in the living room; Relena and Dorothy were already relaxing, on an armchair and a loveseat, respectively. Without opening her eyes, Relena muttered, "They go to sleep okay?"

"Ashlyn was a little overexcited…other than that, they were all pretty good. Any movement from the basement?"

"She's conscious."

"And angry," Dorothy added.

"I'm sure."

"I can't believe we're holding someone hostage," Relena murmured, her eyes closed, taking long breaths.

"It's legal," Dorothy assured her. "I'm part-time Preventer and I can account for us…besides, I'm sure Sally will be one-hundred percent behind this, and you don't get much higher up the ladder."

Relena whispered into the stillness, "We're lucky Hilde fell asleep."

There was a very uncomfortable pause, until Rebecca asked, "So we aren't telling her?"

"I think…" Dorothy muttered, "that it would make things very unnecessarily difficult. We don't tell her, then there's no biased emotion involved. Hilde would demand to be present at interrogations; it'd make things hard. It'll be better if we just keep her away from your house for a while, Relena."

A pause, and then Rebecca: "How do we account for a missing person?"

Relena gave a very unladylike snort. "None of us had any idea she existed. If she's involved in this - which I _know_ she is - then she'll have a ton of aliases, disguises, and so on…I'm sure a missing persons report won't give us trouble."

"Great," Dorothy mumbled. "Now just to figure out what to do with her."

"Yeah…" Relena whispered, more to herself than anyone else in the room. "Good question."

**23 DECEMBER 293 - MONDAY**

**17:13 PM**

****

He had never found the Colony sewers to be very comforting, even though the other criminals and "organization" members that he passed had begun to salute or nod to him as they walked by. Because walking the streets of L1 reminded him painfully of Relena, Heero had taken to getting anywhere he needed to go by the sewer route.

He hadn't seen his wife in person for nearly two months, and it had been three weeks since they're last vidcam conversation - which had been an utter disaster. He hadn't spoken to his daughter for five weeks, and the only people he had associated with were criminals and mercenaries. To say the least, Heero had been a little down in the dumps the past while.

Exiting out of sewer gate #574, he walked down an alleyway onto Superstition Boulevard and was suddenly assaulted by a wave of noise, colorful blinking lights, and the vision of hundreds of last-minute Christmas shoppers making final purchases. Pulling his jacket tighter around his shoulders, Heero dodged onto the sidewalk and began the strategic maneuvering required to survive the stream of holiday shoppers.

People passing him on the sidewalk didn't give him a second glance, but Heero preferred it that way. Walking at his own pace, glancing at the stores he passed, he finally stopped at a window display in a small toy store.

Hands shoved in his pockets, blond hair slightly damp from the falling snow, Heero stood in the middle of the busy sidewalk and gazed at the array of dolls in the window. For a second, he was back home, last Christmas, standing in the doorway of the living room while he watched Relena and Amy play with their daughter's biggest Christmas gift: a box set of all her favorite dolls, not a hair out of place, each outfit pressed and neat. Relena, flushed from the excitement of the holiday, had gazed at him with love in her eyes and a laugh in her voice as she held up a redhead in a princess dress and offered, "Want to be the sister?"

"Hey, buddy, keep it moving!"

Heero was jolted out of the memory as someone shoved him from the side, nearly knocking him over. "Sorry," he muttered, and then abruptly turned from the window and continued down the street.

This year, he couldn't even send Amy a present: too risky. Unless something changed drastically in the next few days - no, day - he would be spending Christmas alone, without his family, light years away, surrounded by people who would kill him for a few extra dollars and without a second thought.

He hadn't been on a 'mission' in three weeks. After that first time Tavera had pulled him aside and excluded him from the squadron briefing, Heero had been confined to what the boss called the 'planning' committee. In short, he "helped" plan the missions - or rather, offered his opinions when asked, which was rarely. No matter what tactic he tried, what approach he took, he couldn't get anything out of either Tavera or Roberts, or any of the other members, for that matter. He felt completely useless, and helpless; he had no idea what to do. Heero had seriously been debating returning to Earth, but then would always change his mind - Amy's safety was at stake, and he was the only one who could protect her.

Rounding the last corner, Heero came upon a small café sandwiched between a bookstore and a diner - it was Brian's home and where his wife worked daily for the other half of their income. Heero hadn't met Brian's wife, but they had invited him to a Christmas dinner, if he felt up to it. Personally, Heero knew Brian hadn't believed he would come; he had seen how down Heero had been lately, and how much he seemed to love keeping to himself in his dorm. So he essentially wasn't expected, but a late-night, Christmastime bite of loneliness had spurred him out onto the Colony streets.

He entered the café and breathed in the strong smell of peppermint hot chocolate. Brian had told him to look for a back staircase, which he quickly did, and climb without hesitation.

The TV must've been on pretty loud, because as Heero was climbing, all he could hear was people yelling. A guy and a girl, it sounded like - hardly Christmastime network fare, but then again, Heero didn't watch TV much; he was probably out of the loop. He reached the top floor, turned a corner, and, to his surprise, found the door to Brian's apartment wide open.

The yelling was coming from the next room over, and now, Heero realized it wasn't the TV. He entered warily, his foot brushing against something metal: an empty bottle of beer.

His heart skipped a beat as he glanced around: the room was littered with glass bottles. Dreading what he was about to see, Heero pressed his back against the wall and glanced around the corner.

"…_told _you that it's worth it!"

The voice belonged to Brian. The cheerful redhead had an expression on his face Heero had never seen before, and he was standing over a cowering woman with long dark hair…and his fist was raised.

"Are you going to sit there and tell me that I do _nothing_ for you?!"

The room reeked of beer, and Brian was swaying slightly on his feet. Heero stared as he suddenly saw the bruises on the woman's face and arms, and the blood trickling slowly down from a cut just above her eyebrow. The blood mixed slowly with tears as it made its way down her bruised cheeks.

"_Answer me!_" Brian bellowed, and the hand was brought down - hard. There was a small cry of pain from the woman, and then she turned her face away from Heero; he couldn't see the damage.

"I just - "she began, her voice quavering. She was raising her hands slowly above her head, and Heero could see her fingers trembling, and the black and blue of her forearms. "I just thought…maybe we could be together for Christmas - "

" - and _I _told you I had to work! You don't seem to appreciate the fact that _I_ bring home the money in this family! Do you even _care_? All you think about is yourself, what you want!"

A sob escaped her throat, and the fist was brought down again…and again…and again.

Heero's body was lit with fire, but he stood in the doorway, watching the horrific spectacle, and for some reason, he could not move. Something about seeing this cheerful, kind person transform into a brutal, cruel monster had frozen him in his tracks.

Nothing in his world was right anymore.

Suddenly, Heero heard many footsteps on the stairs leading up to the loft apartment. It registered somewhere in his brain that he definitely did not want to be subjected to the publicity of testifying in a legal court, and before he could think about right or wrong, he had ducked into a dark hallway and crouched low to the ground.

Five men stampeded into the apartment, five men that Heero, surprisingly, recognized.

Their leader was none other than Tavera.

They stopped short at the door to Brian and his wife's bedroom, where all movement had suddenly come to a halt. Then, Heero heard Tavera say, in a low and lethal voice, "Brian Hackett, please come with us."

There was dead silence for several moments, during which Heero detected no movement from anyone, even the woman. The terrible picture kept replaying in his mind, over and over again, and suddenly he realized that he had to get out, and now.

Tavera's voice came again, commandingly. "Men, chain him, please. We'll help him out and back down to headquarters. There we will place him in a holding cell until his sentence can be deduced."

There was a small groan from Brian, and then the men were moving. Heero, seeing his chance, rose and stealthily slipped from the loft and hurried down the stairs.

It wasn't until he was safely outside and fifty yards away that he began to breathe again. Feeling his heart thumping wildly against his chest, the blood pounding against his temples, his thoughts in turmoil, Heero all of a sudden turned his head to get one last glance at the loft apartment.

Tavera was standing in the window, staring straight at him.

A wave of panic rushed through his body, and Heero whirled and continued walking, trying to look normal. The minute he walked through the sewer gate, he decided he had never felt more relieved in his entire life.

**19:24 PM**

****

This was a very bad situation.

Heero had spent the past two hours in his quarters, mostly pacing, thoughts racing through his head. What he had witnessed in Brian's apartment had shaken him deeply; the one shred of humanity, of compassion, he had found among his life up here, had suddenly and terribly taken a very large turn for the worst.

But what made it even more terrible was the fact that he knew how Roberts and Tavera served their ironic justice in the "organization." Anything that the members did wrong that might possibly threaten the secrecy of the group was punishable by death. A fair trial consisted of the accused, the accusers, and that was it. The defendant wasn't permitted a lawyer; he was simply allowed one witness to speak for him. And all it took was one witness on the accuser's side to overrule what was said, and the sentence would be decided.

Heero didn't know if Tavera had seen him, but the last thing he wanted to do was take the chance of testifying against Brian, condemning him to death…though it might be what he deserved, Heero didn't think he could bear to do that to the one man he had befriended up here.

He didn't know what to do.

Heero stopped pacing for moment, turned and looked around the room at a loss. His eyes rested on the vidcam screen, and suddenly he was assaulted by an overwhelming urge to talk to Relena…to hear her calm voice, listen to her sound advice…but he couldn't.

Not up here, anyway…

And then he had it. He didn't have to be up here. He could leave word around the headquarters that he needed to leave for a few days, and would be back soon. Nothing was scheduled, the week was free - it was perfect.

He could go home…see Amy - and Relena. For Christmas.

Without another thought, Heero picked up his jacket and left.

****

**24 DECEMBER 293 - WEDNESDAY - CHRISTMAS EVE**

**06:59 AM**

****

"Hark, the heral angels si-ing, glory to the new-bun king…piece of earth and more seed mild, gone are sinners wreck and styled…"

Coming down the stairs and passing the living room, Relena paused in slight puzzlement. She was still groggy from her sleep - or rather, lack of it - and the tune Amy was singing was familiar, but the words…

"Joyful all ye nations ride, join the triump of the guys, with angelic hose broke lame, Christ is born in Bethlehem…"

"'Angelic hosts _proclaim_,' sweetheart," Relena mumbled on her way past. Amy glanced up from the where she was sitting next to the Christmas tree, taking an inventory of her presents.

"Morning, Mom!" she said cheerfully. "Uncle Duo taught me a song last night. It's a Christmas one, wanna hear?"

Continuing to the kitchen, Relena threw over her shoulder, "Sure, honey."

"Okay! Listen to this: 'Joy to the world, my teacher's dead! I barbecued her head! What happened to the body, I flushed it down the potty, and 'round and 'round it goes, and 'round - '"

"Amy!"

"What?"

"How about you sing - "

_Ding-dong!_

Relena glanced up from her bowl of cereal. "Was that the _doorbell_? At seven o'clock in the morning?"

Amy didn't respond; she had already dashed down the hallway toward the front door.

A thought flew through Relena's mind - a crazy thought. _Could he possibly…_ Shoving her excitement down, she stood and went to unfasten the deadbolt.

But the man who stood on the doorstep was definitely not her husband.

"Brad!" Relena exclaimed, immediately mortified. "Oh my gosh - what are you doing here?"

The old senator gave her a gentle smile. "Thought I'd surprise you with a Christmas Eve breakfast, my dear."

Amy gave a cry of delight and hugged him fiercely around the legs

"Oh my gosh," Relena repeated. "I - I haven't taken a shower, or put on makeup, or - or - "

Brad laughed. "Don't worry about it, my dear. Let's go enjoy some of my special Christmas French toast, shall we?"

****

**09:49 AM**

****

Heero had never imagined that the sight of his home could fill him with such feelings as he was experiencing now. Just walking up the driveway, seeing that sprawling house, picking out his and Relena's window, Amy's room, the balcony…made him feel as if he could just slip away from all the evil and corruption he had been living among for the past two months and be among everything good and clean again.

There was a strange car in the driveway - probably one of Relena's coworkers…or maybe someone had gotten a new car. He wouldn't know - he hadn't spoken to any of them for so long…

Heero had just reached the front door when he suddenly realized that he didn't have a key. He hadn't kept one up on L1, for fear someone would take it and figure out what it was used for…and the door was - he tried it - locked.

Feeling a bit strange, an odd nervousness rising up in his stomach, Heero lifted a fist and knocked.

He waited a moment. It was almost silent inside, but he thought - maybe? - he could detect the very faint sound of running water…

"Mr. Yuy?" came an incredulous voice.

Heero whirled around. Behind him, standing just below the front porch next to the unfamiliar car, was an old man Heero recognized. He was staring at Heero with an odd expression on his face. "Why, I had absolutely no idea you were returning home so soon."

The name came to him in a flash. "…Brad Wilshaw, right?" Heero said, smiling. The man Relena had expressed such love and gratitude for…

The old man smiled. "That's me. Are you looking for Relena? Oh, of course you are."

"Is she…not here?"

"I'm afraid not. She had an emergency meeting this morning, had to leave very quickly. You…don't have a key?"

Heero shook his head, immensely disappointed.

"Then come with me, young man. You can stay at my place until she's finished, if that's all right with you."

He saw no other option. Giving the older man a tired smile, Heero nodded and climbed into the car.

----------------

"I swear, Mom, I'm not lying!"

Relena gave her daughter a look. "Amy, it's not funny to joke about someone being at the door."

"But I wasn't joking!"

Sighing, Relena undid the deadbolt. Her wet hair was in a towel, her damp body wrapped in a robe. Hiding behind the door, she pulled it open and glanced outside.

She just barely caught sight of Brad's car pulling out of her driveway.

"See, Amy? No one there."

**AN: liddle blue box in da corner?? maybe? )**

**And I PROMISE the next update will come a LOT sooner...so sorry!******


	13. Chapter 13

**AN: Ack, I know, don't kill me…I have let this fic go way too long without updating.**

**But I had the _worst_ case of writers block ever!! ::sob:: I mean holy crap for the life of me I could NOT figure out a way to get from Point A to Point B!**

**But…I sat down tonight and kinda made myself do it…and here it is.**

**I think this one's my favorite chappie so far. ::grin::**

**Many, many apologies to everyone who asked for this fic to continue - I hope I'm living up to your expectations!! Let me know _anything_ I can improve on.**

**--------**

**And Adilande - I'm sorry to hear you're feeling sick!! Maybe this will cheer you up just a little bit?? **

**Luvs,**

**Dragonfire707**

**Chapter 13**

**11:16 AM**

Brad's house was more of a mansion, and it was one of the finest places Heero had ever stepped inside. Being married to Relena brought along countless opportunities to view the houses of the rich and famous, but never before had he witnessed a place like this. There were ancient paintings on the walls - he spotted three Van Goghs and several Monets - not to mention a beautiful white grand piano, exquisite luxury furnishings and a top-notch, state-of-the-art security system.

Feeling very out-of-place - he had never been comfortable in such opulent surroundings - Heero stepped inside and followed Brad to the dining room.

"I'm sure you must be very hungry, Mr. Yuy," Brad said, taking a seat in a cushioned dining-room chair. "I've already had breakfast, but a quick snack doesn't sound too disagreeable. Are you hungry?"

Heero managed to flash a small smile. "Famished," he replied.

"Good. My chef will already have lunch prepared, so if you'll follow me into the dining room…?"

Following the old man's footsteps, Heero traveled down a corridor bedecked with even more authentic paintings, looking down at his scuffed shoes on the lush carpet and realizing how out-of-place he looked in this king's palace. But then he glanced up at the man moving slowly in front of him, and remembered how Relena had adored Wilshaw like he was family, and he didn't feel nearly as incongruous. It would be okay. They'd eat lunch, maybe talk for a little while, and then he could ask for a ride back to the house and finally get to see Relena and Amy.

The dining room was something out of fairy tales; colossal, with bronze Greek statues standing guard near the door and an immense chandelier, with a million many-faceted crystals, hanging from the vaulted ceiling. There was also the largest Christmas tree Heero had ever seen placed in the corner, festooned with more ornaments than he could count and probably a thousand twinkling silver lights.

Brad led him to the table, which stretched the entire length of the room and was at least twice the width of Heero's own table back home.

_How the crap did he come by all this money?…_

They sat across from each other, and immediately three servants, dressed in starched white uniforms, walked from a neatly hidden door to the kitchen to take their order. Because most of the items on the menu were in either French or Italian, Heero decided to just pick something and hope it wasn't too exotic. Duo had once tricked him into eating roast squid, an event he was trying to forget.

The dish turned out to be steak in a sauce of some kind, with a interesting array of vegetables on the side. He was too hungry to really care; Heero quickly picked up his fork and dug in.

A few moments into the meal, when the pilot had slowed his momentum a bit, Brad asked, "So, how is your work going, Mr. Yuy?"

Heero paused and glanced up. He wasn't sure what Relena had told Brad about -

"Relena said you were rooting out some criminals on L1," Brad said, almost as if he had read Heero's mind. "Aren't you with the Preventers?"

Heero nodded. Relena trusted this man, so maybe she had told him everything… "Yeah, but I'm off formal duty for a while to do a little recon work."

"The press is saying," Brad said quietly, sprinkling salt on his grilled salmon, "that you're an assassin hired by the government." He looked up, locked gazes with Heero. "I must admit, you certainly have the needed skills."

"No, I'm not an assassin," Heero replied. "Nothing nearly so exciting as that. As a Preventer I mainly serve as Relena's bodyguard, which works considering the living arrangement. But…after Amy was kidnapped, and then found, they decided to station me on L1 to try and figure out who took her."

"I see," Brad mused. There was a pause as both men ate. Heero was facing the massive Christmas tree, and he suddenly had a deep longing to go home. His family had probably set up the tree without him…but he wondered how Relena had gotten the star at the top of the tree, because she was terrified of ladders…

"So, is the work progressing?" Brad inquired, snapping Heero out of his thoughts.

"Well, slowly," he responded. "I…well, I've gathered a lot of information, I just…"

"Don't have the means to utilize it yet?" Brad finished.

Heero looked up in surprise. "Yeah."

The older man chuckled. "Every politician's dilemma. Here, you must try some of this champagne - it is exquisite."

A young servant had come out again, and was offering Heero a champagne glass with a clear liquid inside. Giving a faint smile as thanks, Heero took the drink, but the servant boy merely fixed him with a very serious, very fierce gaze before turning to go inside.

He set the glass down as Brad continued, "Did the police find anything ?"

"All right, I guess," Heero replied as he took another bite. "I sleep well, I have enough money for the basics, food is supplied…the roommates are a little bothersome, but I suppose that can't be helped."

"Where are you staying?"

"An apartment complex," Heero lied easily. Brad accepted the answer, so apparently Relena hadn't told the man everything.

"And is there no one you work with that you enjoy?"

"Well…" Heero mused, "there is one."

"There you go," Brad beamed. "It can't be that bad. Tell me about him."

Heero shrugged a little. "Well…honestly, he reminds me a lot of someone I know down here," he began, and then instantly sobered. _At least he did, until I caught him beating the hell out of his wife_…

"What's your roommate's name?"

He only paused a fraction a second before responding. "Brian."

"Married?"

Heero held back a grimace. "Yeah."

"Tall or short?"

"Too tall for his own good."

"Annoyingly entertaining?"

"Mostly annoying."

"Is he funny?"

"He thinks he is."

The older man laughed again. "Redheads usually are."

Heero went ramrod straight.

_What the hell…_

"Sounds like a good guy. I once had a roommate in college…"

_Holy crap, holy crap, holy crap!_

"…not to mention loud, and at first I wanted nothing to do with him, but gradually as time went on…"

_You've got to be kidding me…_

_…I never told him Brian was a redhead._

"…ended up as the best of friends. Still talk to him today, as a matter of fact." Brad finished his story and beamed at Heero. Heero gave a small smile and ducked his head to take a bite in an effort to keep from speaking.

This was unbelievable. There was no way Brad could've known about Brian, no way he could've known about any of it, unless…

_Holy crap._

Brad was in on the whole thing - from the _wrong side_.

And as the older man started rambling on about something else, Heero felt his senses slowly switch to over-alert mode, in-the-presence-of-the-enemy mode. He slowly picked up his fork and appeared like he was eating, while secretly he was quickly glancing around the room, noting all entrances and exits, studying every nook and cranny for hidden cameras, hidden assassins, hidden _anything_ -

_I can't believe this…_

He glanced up and looked at the man sitting across from him as Brad finished the story. The older man gave him a smile and then said amiably, "I'm glad you enjoyed your lunch, Mr. Yuy. Oh - but you haven't touched the champagne! I really must insist, I just know you'll love it. Relena's sampled a bit, too, she already asked me to bring over a case tomorrow for dinner…"

_She doesn't drink…she's pregnant…she doesn't drink, you fool…_

Feeling his stomach turn very slowly into lead and his breathing slow, Heero's gaze slid down to the innocent-looking champagne glass sitting harmlessly next to his plate. He glanced up at Brad, saw that the older man was looking at him way too intently, and then offered a small smile. Knowing he didn't have a choice, Heero lifted the glass and raised it to his lips.

There - as he brought the glass closer to his face, he saw it: a very light, very faint dusting of powder on the inside rim. That meant one thing and one thing only: _poison_.

"You know," Heero said suddenly, lowering the glass. Brad sat back a little, clearly trying to hide the surprise and impatience in his eyes. "I'm not much a champagne person. Usually it just makes me a little nauseous."

Brad raised an eyebrow…

…and Heero saw his right hand drop slowly beneath the table.

"That's surprising," the older man said, mildly enough to win an Academy Award. "I would assume someone as strong as you physically would have an equally strong stomach."

"Strange, isn't it," Heero said, and gave a dry little laugh. _Be normal, be normal…_

"Yes, very strange," Brad mused.

Heero sensed danger, coming fast. His muscles were tense, his hands ready to move.

"Mr. Yuy, I must admit something that has been bothering me for quite a while."

_He didn't have his gun._

Heero felt frantically at his waist, where the pistol had always sat comfortably, but to no avail - the gun was gone. He was unarmed, in a mansion he could very easily get lost in, facing an elderly man who he was sure was going to attempt to kill him in less than two minutes…

"What's that, Brad?" he said, attempting to appear nonchalant.

"I, actually, believe that your work is better spent somewhere else."

"Really?" Heero's eyes were fastened on the man seated across from him. He had no weapon, so all he could do was get ready for anything.

"Yes."

"And where is that?"

The older man said, very calmly, "In hell."

There - he saw it! - the shining silver gleam of a pistol, catching the light of the Christmas tree directly behind Brad's chair. Before the older man could even stand to pull the trigger, Heero was out of his chair and on the table, plates flying, the supposedly "exquisite" champagne loudly crashing and spilling all over the table. It took less than two seconds for Heero to snatch the gun out of Brad's hands, whip it around, and aim it directly in his face.

It happened faster than Brad could even comprehend. As soon as he saw the fury raging in Heero's gaze, the older man's eyes narrowed contemptuously.

"You should've died a long time ago, Heero Yuy."

"Agreed," Heero hissed. "Now tell me - do you work for Roberts?"

"Roberts?" Brad returned laughingly. "You have no idea what's going on up there, do you, Yuy."

"Why don't you tell me, then," Heero snapped, "and maybe I won't kill you."

Wilshaw gave a humorless laugh. "Go ahead, Yuy. Your wife already despises you, this'll just add fuel to the flame."

Heero felt fire rage through his veins. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Brad gave another bark of laughter, and then leaned close to speak, as if explaining to a young child. "Relena _hates_ you. You can't see that? Why don't you think she's avoided speaking to you? Thanks to us, she finally sees you as the _monster_ you are, you bloody, lying, filthy murderer - "

The shot rang out before Heero realized he had pulled the trigger.

The dead man slumped to the left, and the dead weight caused the chair to topple over with a crash. The politician known as Brad Wilshaw, one of the most renowned and beloved leaders on the Earth and Colonies, died with his eyes staring straight up at Heero.

And the Perfect Soldier's hands were shaking so badly he could not hold the gun.

It took a moment for Heero's brain to process something, something very bad that he should've noted right away. When he finally realized what had gone wrong, Heero swore fiercely under his breath and leaped off the table.

The dead politician had _landed_ on something - something small, and black, and discreetly hidden near the base of the Christmas tree:

A camera.

From behind Brad's chair.

Heero swore again, and, without thinking of what he was doing, yanked the camera from its position against the wall.

Immediately, the mansion went pitch black, except for a flashing red light and a high-pitched, extremely loud siren.

Alarms.

And Heero realized his _second_ mistake: he had killed the camera, but its footage was still on tape somewhere.

And the alarms were going off, the guards were no doubt heading straight in this direction, and he had absolutely no time to find the security monitors.

So the Perfect Soldier did something he never thought he'd ever have to do again:

He ran.

**13:01 PM**

The second time someone knocked on her door that day, Relena was seated in the living room, listening to an old Christmas CD and handing ornaments to Amy to hang on the tree they had bought just the night before. Amy was ecstatic, gleefully grabbing the decorations from her mother and hanging them pretty much all in the same place, but Relena was much more subdued, although she was trying hard not to show it. She had put off decorating the tree for as long as she could, hoping against hope that somehow her husband would show up to help…but he was still very far away. And she was home, going through all the Christmas traditions without feeling much of the spirit of the season at all.

Just as Amy was reaching for her sixteenth ornament, a Popsicle-stick concoction that she had constructed with her aunt Hilde earlier that year and was immensely proud of, there were several knocks on the front door.

"Ahh!" Amy shrieked as she dropped the ornament back into the box. "Carolers!"

Relena smiled as she stood. "It's too early for carolers, honey, we have to wait till nighttime."

Amy raced ahead of her, shouting, "If they're singing 'Jingle Bells,' Mom, can I please get the sleigh bells to play along? Or if they - " she stopped short: she had pulled open the door, and carolers there were not.

"Oh! _Hi_, Uncle Duo," Amy's voice came floating from the front door as Relena hurried into the entryway. "We were just decorating the tree - "

Relena came around the corner and saw the two men standing on her doorstep. When normally Duo would've been laughing and either tickling her daughter or telling her a joke, the former pilot was ashen-faced and dead serious.

She stopped dead in her tracks and whispered haltingly, "What is it?"

Duo opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out. Trowa took a step forward and murmured quietly, "Relena, we need you to come with us. Right now."

Amy was staring at Duo, whom she had never seen without a smile on his face before now. It was so abnormal that it frightened her. The four-year-old turned and grabbed Relena's hand, asking in a hushed tone, "Mommy, what's wrong?"

Relena couldn't speak; her throat was tight and all she could do was stare.

Trowa leaned down and said haltingly, "We have to go for a ride, okay, Amy? Go grab a toy, you get to play with Lira and Tess for a little while."

Feeling a bit better, Amy swallowed and went to find a toy to bring.

"Is he…is he…" Relena whispered hoarsely. She couldn't say it. Couldn't _think_ it.

Trowa shook his head slowly. "No, but…"

"But what?"

"Just…come with us, Relena. There's something you need to see."

**13:33 PM**

"This was taken starting at exactly eleven twenty-one this morning," Wufei's monotone, emotionless voice intoned as he pushed the play button on the remote. He turned to glance at Relena, couldn't meet her gaze, and then instead fiddled with the Preventers badge on his chest - a sure sign he was nervous. "It's fifteen minutes and thirty six seconds long, taken from Camera 024 at the Wilshaw estate."

"Wilshaw?" Relena said, startled. "This has to do with _Brad_?"

Wufei continued, as if he hadn't heard her, "Visual is intact, but audio was lost due to damage to the recording device."

"There's no sound?" Relena began. "But - "

"Shh," said Trowa, who had just entered. He turned the key in the door, locking them all inside Wufei's office in the Preventers headquarters. They were all facing a video monitor on the wall, a large one blown up to about three times the normal size. Relena was standing near the back wall, and was forcibly trying to keep her hands from shaking. They wouldn't tell her what was going on, but she could tell whatever it was, it was very bad.

"Begin," Wufei said emotionlessly as the video started.

Immediately, Relena recognized the room. "Oh my gosh," she whispered. "That's Brad's dining room - Amy and I ate dinner with him there, just last week, we…" She stopped abruptly. The pilots were still and grim and absolutely unresponsive. Their eyes were focused on the video, though Relena guessed they had all seen it countless times already.

So she watched, with heightening dread, as the door opened and Brad came into the camera view, gesturing with his hands and obviously talking with someone. He took a seat in the chair situated right in front of the camera and a bit to the right, so that the back of his chair was all that was visible.

And then another figure strode into view, and immediately Relena recognized the walk: bold, commanding, confidant - it was Heero.

She gave a startled cry and grabbed Duo's shoulder. "He's _here_?" she exclaimed. "He's on Earth?"

Duo turned, his expression grave, and said solemnly, "He was."

"Watch, Relena," Quatre said gently.

She turned and looked back at the video screen. Heero had taken the seat directly across from Brad; they had ordered food from a series of servants, and were eating. Relena waited, watching, noting every little detail as the meal progressed. Soon, Brad's hands were moving again, indicating that he was speaking - he was a politician; he used his hands. Heero would respond, and a few times broke into a smile at something the elderly man had said. Relena felt her heart melt; she hadn't seen that smile in weeks…

It went on for a little while more; the servants came out and delivered drinks, the conversation ensued; at times Heero looked a little tired, at other times a little serious, but it was him - it was really him.

Relena didn't understand what was wrong - Heero had come to Earth today, had met Brad for lunch, there was nothing the matter with -

But just then, the figure on the screen that she knew as her husband jumped out of his chair and onto the table, crossing the distance between him and Brad within seconds. For a brief moment, he was hidden behind the shadow of Brad's large chair, but then he pulled back, and Relena saw the image clearly:

He was holding a gun, and aiming it directly at the older man.

She gasped, and the pilots turned to look at her, worried. Her eyes were fastened on the screen, wide and fearful and not comprehending, and they knew that she was as astonished as they were.

As the seconds ticked by, and Relena watched her husband's handsome face turn frightening with a horrible fury, she didn't realize that tears had gathered in her eyes and were trickling very slowly down her cheeks. She raised a hand to her mouth, begging, pleading to God in his heaven that somehow, someway this would turn out all right -

But there was a flash, and she saw Heero jerk back slightly as the pistol discharged, and then Brad Wilshaw's chair fell to the left and he landed on the floor, his body knocking into the camera and shoving it to the side…so that the gunshot wound was in clear view.

Heero had gone out of the camera frame, and all that could be seen was Brad's profile, his eyes wide open as he gazed upwards. Suddenly, two feet came into view, a pair of shoes Relena was very familiar with, and then a strong hand reached forward, covered the camera screen, and pulled -

- and all went black.

"End," whispered Wufei in the dead silence that followed.

Trowa was the first to turn to look at Relena. He caught one glimpse of the colorless face and the gleam of tears before he saw her eyes roll back in her head and her knees buckle. "Catch her!" he yelled, lunging to get to her, keep her from falling -

- but he was too late. Relena fell to the floor, her legs folding under her and her head knocking painfully against the floor, as two tears dropped from her pale cheeks to the tile below.

**AN: Review?? **


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